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State Representative Thomas Huntley
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2228
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
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REP. HUNTLEY: GOVERNOR’S PROPOSALS DO NOT LOWER COSTS OR IMPROVE HEALTH CARE
St. Paul, MN – State Rep. Tom Huntley responded from Washington D.C. to the Governor’s health care initiatives announced today. Huntley has joined a group of state legislators working with the White House and federal lawmakers on national health care reform.
Huntley said that while some of the Governor’s ideas have merit, most of them are old ideas that have been tried before, and the Governor neglected to explain how he would pay for the new ideas.
“I didn’t hear anything new today from the Governor that would either significantly lower costs or improve health care for Minnesotans," said Huntley. “We will certainly consider his proposals when the legislature convenes in February, but as they say, the devil is in the details. As we look closer at his ideas, I believe we will find they cost more money, add to the bureaucracy, and do little or nothing to improve our health care system.”
With regard to allowing Minnesotans to purchase health insurance from other states, Huntley said he is against it unless there are tight consumer protections enforced by the Minnesota Commerce Commissioner.
“I understand the Governor is calling for a litmus test that out-of-state policies must pass before they can be sold in Minnesota,” said Huntley. “While I agree that is necessary, I question how much savings we will actually see as a result of this extra layer of government.
It will also be very difficult for for-profit insurance companies to compete with our not-for-profit insurance companies, which do business much more efficiently.”
Huntley said that bulk of the Governor’s proposal to require MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance to price health care services based on quality and cost was already passed in the 2008 health care reform bill, including use of the medical home model to save costs through coordinated care.
Huntley agrees that consumer-driven incentives in MinnesotaCare, such as EBT cards, have worked well with state employees, but will not have the same results with a lower income population. Again, the Governor failed to say how he would pay for expanding this program.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans are asking for significant and permanent health care reform that will improve overall health, lower costs and extend coverage to more people,” said Huntley. “None of the proposals outlined by the Governor today meet those benchmarks.”
News Items
- Rep. Huntley on Upholding of the Affordable Care Act by the Supreme Court - (Posted: 2012-06-28 00:00:00)
- Two Year Anniversary: Affordable Care Act Puts Minnesotans First - (Posted: 2012-03-23 00:00:00)
- Huntley, Murphy, and Lourey Join Nearly 500 Legislators Across U.S. to Defend Constitutionality of Affordable Care Act - (Posted: 2012-01-12 00:00:00)
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