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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
Press/News Releases
Reps. Huntley, Thissen and Murphy react to Governor's plan to auto-enroll GAMC clients to MnCare
State Rep. Tom Huntley
State Rep. Paul Thissen
State Rep. Erin Murphy
News Statement
State Rep. Tom Huntley, Chair of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee, State Rep. Paul Thissen, Chair of the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee, and Assistant Majority Leader Erin Murphy, who serves on both health care committees, reacted today to the news that Governor Pawlenty has issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Human Services to auto-enroll all GAMC clients in MnCare as of March 1, 2010.
Rep. Tom Huntley: MinnesotaCare was never intended or designed to provide coverage to the 28,000 poorest and sickest Minnesotans currently receiving basic health care services from the GAMC program. To begin with, it will be very difficult for many of them to maintain their eligibility. Earning less than $8,000 in a year, and in most cases, under $3,000 a year, these individuals will never be able to afford MnCare premiums or the 10% co-pay. The seriousness of their illnesses may well exceed the MnCare $10 thousand inpatient hospital reimbursement cap, forcing hospitals to cost-shift millions more onto middle class families' insurance premiums. In addition, the cost of caring for these individuals will stretch the resources of the Health Care Access Fund to the breaking point and could result in thousands of more people losing coverage.
Rep. Paul Thissen: This is a short-term fix to a problem the Governor created. It offers no help to anyone walking in the hospital on March 2nd - they will still be uninsured and the costs of care will be passed on to hospitals, property taxpayers and everyone who has insurance in Minnesota. There is tremendous turnover in this program and within six months, tens of thousands more Minnesotans will be uninsured at great cost to all of us. In addition, there is absolutely no reform included in this plan.
Rep. Erin Murphy: Instead of solving the problem he created, the Governor is shifting responsibility onto Minnesota families through higher property taxes and health care premiums.
His decision simply sends a bill to cash-strapped Minnesota counties and hospitals to deal with the 30,000 Minnesotans who will lose their health care because of his veto. Counties and hospitals have already been pushed to the brink. That means working Minnesota families will end up paying over $1.8 million in new property taxes and see another increase in their health care premiums. In this economy, that is unacceptable.
There is a better solution to this problem. A few weeks ago, the Governor said he was open to working with the Legislature on a solution to this problem. We hope he will join all the stakeholders for a serious discussion about a permanent solution that does not increase the cost of health care for Minnesota families when they can least afford it.
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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