AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. A new grassroots organization called Community Action Wisconsin (CAW) has spent at least the past few weeks collecting resident signatures in support of its proposed "Local Healthcare Action Plan." The org wants to see its initiative appear on voter ballots this November, something that could be considered by Eau Claire City Council yet this month, pending supporting signatures' verification.

During at least the past few weeks, locals browsing downtown Eau Claire storefronts or attending the farmers market in Phoenix Park may have been approached by petitioners seeking their signatures for a healthcare-related measure.

That effort has been formally identified as that of Community Action Wisconsin (CAW), a new grassroots organization in the Eau Claire and La Crosse areas.

According to a media release shared yesterday (shared in full at the bottom of this article), July 13, CAW gained and submitted over 13,000 total signatures in support of adding its proposed “Local Healthcare Action Plan” to voters’ ballots this November.

8,163 of those signatures were from Eau Claire residents and have been submitted to the Eau Claire City Clerk – such proposals require at least 4,476 resident signatures in the city of Eau Claire to be considered – for verification.

In short, CAW believes there is not enough being done locally to address healthcare affordability and accessibility. The group suggests both Eau Claire and La Crosse develop respective Local Healthcare Action Plans “to diagnose local healthcare access and affordability, assess policy decisions driving those problems and make recommendations for local leaders,” the release states.

“Our Eau Claire City-County Health Department, and the work done through the Eau Claire Health Alliance, is already bringing people together to make sure the city is part of the solution to improve public health and healthcare in our area ... but there is no doubt more work could be done on the local level.”

JEREMY GRAGERT

EAU CLAIRE CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT, ON COMMUNITY ACTION WISCONSIN'S PROPOSAL

CAW’s proposal suggests each city create a committee made up of local citizens, leaders and experts. Each community's respective committee would then hold public hearings and gather data to create its Action Plan; recommend two years' worth of actions at the local, state and federal levels to address healthcare accessibility issues.

Eau Claire City Council President Jeremy Gragert said if there are enough verified signatures in support of the measure, the City Council would then discuss creating the suggested Citizen’s Advisory Healthcare Action Committee and whether to put it on the ballot this November.

It is possible City Council would consider the proposal as soon as its Tuesday, July 28 meeting, Gragert said.

What is Community Action Wisconsin (CAW)?

The self-described grassroots organization is a new collective focused on “healthcare accountability,” with little public-facing information on its lead organizers or members. Its July 13 media release noted Sam Roecker as one spokesperson for the org.

“As the release mentions, over 8,000 Eau Claire residents signed the petition in support of the Healthcare Action Plan. We also have a coalition of groups supporting this initiative, who have active members in the community,” Roecker told Volume One when asked who is part of CAW. “Main Street Alliance, The Committee to Protect Healthcare and Opportunity Wisconsin are all partners in this effort.”

Notably, Roecker is a partner of political consulting firm Path to Victory LLC. Roecker's name may be familiar to those keyed into statewide politics, as he previously served as an advisor and campaign manager for Gov. Tony Evers; Justice Janet Protasiewicz; Justice Jill Karofsky.

Gragert, who said he is not familiar with CAW, did express shared concern toward healthcare accessibility when asked about the organization’s proposal and noted some efforts already underway.

“Our Eau Claire City-County Health Department, and the work done through the Eau Claire Health Alliance, is already bringing people together to make sure the city is part of the solution to improve public health and healthcare in our area,” he told Volume One.

He pointed to the Alliance’s next meeting, open to the public and slated for July 16 from 1-2:30pm at the Eau Claire County Government Center, to discuss those points. A panel presentation, called “Changing Landscape of Healthcare in our Community,” will be held.

Panelists include local healthcare leaders Audrey Simmons of Rogers Behavioral Health; Brook Berg of Mayo Clinic Health System; Dr. Brandon Parkhurst of Marshfield Clinic, Sandford Health; Laurie Lessard of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan; Reba Rice of NorthLakes Community Clinic.

“But there is no doubt more work could be done on the local level,” Gragert added. “It will take a long time to recover from the major hospital and clinic closures over two years ago, and there were plenty of longstanding gaps and challenges with affordability and access before that.”

As of today, July 14, the city clerk is still in the process of verifying CAW's submitted signatures in support of its proposal.

Community Action Wisconsin submits 13,000 signatures to advance Local Healthcare Action Plans in La Crosse and Eau Claire

Grassroots effort responds to rising costs, Medicaid cuts, and expiring healthcare tax credits with citizen-driven Local Healthcare Action Plan

LA CROSSE / EAU CLAIRE, WIS. – Community Action Wisconsin (CAW), a new grassroots organizing effort, announced today that it has turned in over 13,000 signatures to city clerks in La Crosse and Eau Claire to place Local Healthcare Action Plan measures on the November 2026 ballot. The citizen-led effort is a new partnership between local residents, community leaders, and organizations to actually try to make healthcare more affordable for working families in Wisconsin.

The ballot measure would direct each city to develop a Local Healthcare Action Plan to diagnose local healthcare access and affordability, assess policy decisions driving those problems, and make recommendations for local leaders. Wisconsinites are tired of waiting for Washington, and even more tired of elected leaders who vote to cut taxes for the rich while cutting Medicaid for those who need it most. This ballot measure is designed to hold those leaders accountable and develop local solutions to make healthcare cheaper and more accessible here for Eau Claire and here for La Crosse.

Over the past several weeks, organizers have collected signatures in Eau Claire and La Crosse to advance these local ballot measures. Community Action Wisconsin 5,045 signatures to the La Crosse City Clerk’s Office, above the required minimum of 3,297, and 8,163 to the Eau Claire City Clerk to exceed the required 4,476 signatures. Once signatures are verified by the clerk’s office, the measure will advance to the Eau Claire and La Crosse City Councils, where members can vote to place it on the November general election ballot.

“Healthcare costs are skyrocketing, and we can’t wait for Washington. Local leaders are already doing so much to improve local healthcare options, this proposal will expand their ability to deliver affordable, accessible care to the communities they represent,” said a spokesperson for Community Action Wisconsin. “The overwhelming response shows that our neighbors in La Crosse and Eau Claire understand that this is a top priority. We need local, citizen-led solutions to make sure healthcare is affordable and accessible in these communities.”

“An estimated 54,000 Wisconsinites are losing Medicaid coverage because of cuts passed by Congress last year. These people are our patients, our coworkers, our friends, and our family members. They are people who are already delaying care, skipping prescriptions, and working extra hours just to keep their health insurance,” said Dr. Sandy Frohling, an internal medicine doctor in Eau Claire. “That is why I support implementing a Local Healthcare Action Plan here in Eau Claire. This is an important step toward making sure our community has a voice in the decisions that affect our health and our future.”

“As a small business, healthcare costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable. We are hardly able to afford health insurance for ourselves, let alone have it be something that we offer to our employees in a country where we have so many resources,” said Mary Larson, co-owner of Larson’s General Store in La Crosse. “We appreciate all the folks who went out and have been collecting signatures. We understand that there needs to be overarching policy change, but also that change starts at a local level. We're grateful that there are people that are advocating on our behalf, and we hope to get to a point where healthcare is affordable and accessible for everyone, not just folks who have the needs.”

Organizers say the measure is a direct response to federal action that has made healthcare more expensive and harder to reach in western Wisconsin:

• More than 300,000 Wisconsinites are at risk of seeing health insurance premiums double or triple in 2026 after Congress allowed ACA tax credits to expire.
• Medical costs in Wisconsin have risen 140% since 2000, far outpacing the 83% growth in household income over the same period, according to a UW–Madison analysis.
• An estimated 54,000 Wisconsinites are losing Medicaid coverage following federal cuts approved by Congress last year.

About Community Action Wisconsin: Community Action Wisconsin is a grassroots effort organizing La Crosse and Eau Claire residents around healthcare affordability. Rather than waiting on Washington, CAW is building a local, citizen-led process — the Local Healthcare Action Plan — that gives community members, medical providers, and local leaders a standing mechanism to diagnose problems, assess the impact of policy decisions, and recommend fixes on a recurring two-year cycle. More information is available at communityactionwi.org. 

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This is a developing story. The Community Action Wisconsin organization website (communityactionwi.org) offers an email sign-up for future updates.