Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty's Health Task Force Releases Report Calling For State Insurance Mandate

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 08 Feb 2008 - 11:00 PDT

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A Minnesota task force on Tuesday recommended that the state require all residents to obtain health coverage and that the state use savings from reducing inefficiencies and insurers' administrative costs to extend health coverage to the uninsured, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. The task force, which was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), also recommended paying physicians based on patients' health outcomes and not visits or procedures, and challenged state residents to reduce smoking and binge drinking and to halt the state's obesity rate.

The task force estimates that adopting the recommendations could reduce Minnesota's health care spending by 14% by 2011 and by nearly 20% in 2015. The savings are based on progress in prevention, payment, quality and cost and would be achieved through several initiatives, such as creating healthy living programs, using preventive care and switching to electronic health records by 2010.

Pawlenty praised the report's "comprehensive fashion" and said it is a "framework" for improving the state's health care system, but he said he disagreed with the health insurance mandate and further penalties on smokers. Pawlenty said that the insurance mandate would place fines or criminal penalties on low-income residents who cannot afford health insurance and that the state already has "hit the smokers hard enough" (Olson, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 2/5).

The report is available online (.pdf).

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