Minnesota Senate Gives Preliminary Approval To Health Care Overhaul Bill

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 01 Apr 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The Minnesota Senate on Thursday voted 41-22 to grant preliminary approval to legislation that would overhaul the state health care system and expand coverage to 47,000 state residents, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The bill would require health care providers to make their fees public and would create standard benefit sets to allow consumers to compare care and prices. In addition, the state would monitor childhood obesity rates and help people manage chronic conditions, such as through nurse phone calls and physician visits.

The coverage expansion would be paid for through projected long-term cost savings. The legislation also would allow small-business employees to purchase private health insurance with tax-free dollars. According to bill sponsor state Sen. Linda Berglin (D), the legislation is intended to take the emphasis off the "10-minute office visit" and place it on effective care management.

However, some state Democrats criticized the bill, warning of unintended consequences, the Star Tribune reports. State Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (D) said, "If a lot of us [lawmakers] are real honest, we would admit there are huge sections of the bill we don't understand," adding that the bill risked "committing Minnesotans to a path that's untested, unmeasured," and "that puts Minnesota health care at risk." Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said he opposes the bill in its current form because it would expand care with no guarantee of savings (Lopez, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3/27).

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