Democrats talk about health care

Staff

Published Tuesday, October 31, 2006

By Jeff Budlong, sports editor

Minnesota State Reps. Tom Huntley of Duluth and Paul Thissen of Minneapolis along with Robin Brown, DFL candidate in House District 27A, spoke in Albert Lea on the DFL’s health care plan Monday.

Huntley said the purpose of the 14-city tour he and Thissen are making is to stress three main points: universal health coverage for all children in the state, give help to small businesses in providing coverage for their employees by allowing them to form health care purchasing pools and lowering the cost of prescriptions for seniors and

others.

“The DFL is very interested in getting Minnesota back in the lead in health care,” Huntley said.

“We slipped a little in the last four years. We still have a relatively low uninsured rate, but it is over 7 percent and four years ago it was at 5.6 percent, which is about 90,000 people who are uninsured.”

Huntley said 60 percent of the uninsured children are eligible for the state programs, but are not enrolled, illustrating the need for a better outreach program. In addition, Huntley said the DFL’s plan would call for a raise in the limit for MinnesotaCare so more people are eligible.

The cost of adding the 68,000 children would be approximately $92 million.

“There is a surplus of $120 million in the Health Care Access Fund which is set up to pay for health care,” Thissen said. “The idea would be to use that fund to cover the kids and some other health care issues.”

MinnesotaCare while funded by those using it is also aided by a provider tax which generates money to be used specifically for the program. The DFL believes over the last four years that has not been the case and will work to remedy it.

The $92 million does not include the premiums that families pay into the system. Under this plan, at 200 percent of the poverty level, a child in a household of three would cost $64 per month.

The business purchasing pools are designed to offer better coverage to employees at a lower cost. The proposal is aimed at leveling the playing field by proving small businesses with the same volume discount that bigger businesses have.

The bulk-prescription purchasing plan would allow the state to use its bulk-purchasing power on behalf of individuals. It is a concept being used by other stares for prescriptions drugs for prisoners, patients in state mental health hospitals and other health facilities.

Thissen said that the DFL has put health care on the top of the agenda after the election.

Health care “along with education and fundamental values important to Minnesotans will be our priority out of the gate for the DFL,” Thissen said. “One of the first two or three bills will be this health care bill addressing these issues.”

“Health care is something I have been talking about for the last six months of the campaign, so when we talk about that being a part of the agenda for the upcoming session I am really happy that is the direction we are going,” Brown said. “Covering all the children in Minnesota is something I am excited about and would guess people have a hard time disagreeing with it being an important issue.”

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