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State Representative Paul Thissen
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5375
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
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MORE MINNESOTANS LOSE THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE State total reaches 550,000
St. Paul, MN – State Rep. Paul Thissen, Chair of the House Health and Human Services Policy Division, was alarmed to learn this week that the number of uninsured Minnesotans has increased by 20% since 2007, well above the national average of 13%. According to a report released by the Center for American Progress, 550,000 Minnesotans currently are without health insurance, representing 11% of the population.
“Without health insurance, people put off everything from basic screenings and preventive care to treatment for illness and injuries," said Thissen. “The consequences of this are widespread – adults are reporting for work sick or missing work all together, trips to the Emergency Room are more common, our health care institutions are weakened by uncompensated costs and a diminished workforce, and health care for all of us is becoming more expensive. All of these issues could be addressed by expanding affordable health insurance to every Minnesotan.”
Thissen said this report makes the Governor’s plan to drop health coverage for tens of thousands of Minnesotans even more dangerous.
“If the Governor’s budget plan is enacted, another 113 thousand Minnesotans will lose their health insurance - including 20,000 children,” said Thissen. “We cannot let the health care of thousands of Minnesotans be used as a bargaining chip in final budget negotiations with the Governor.”
Just as alarming, according to Thissen, is the fact that 67% of these uninsured are employed, symptomatic of the growing difficulty employers are having in affording health insurance for their employees.
“It used to be that having a job meant having health insurance, but this is no longer true,” said Thissen. “Rising health care costs make it more difficult for employers to offer insurance to their employees, and when they do, the cost is often so high employees can’t afford to purchase it. We continue to fight to extend emergency health care to the uninsured.”
“We’ve got a broken health care system that is in dire need of repair,” continued Thissen. “More cuts will cause even more long-term damage – to our economy, to our hospitals and clinics, and most important – to the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who cannot get the health care they deserve.”
News Items
- DFL Leaders Eager to Confront Minnesota’s Challenges with Focus on Economy and Middle Class - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 2:21PM)
- State Representative John Persell appointed Majority Whip - (Posted: Dec 21 2012 1:11PM)
- Speaker-designate Thissen to Establish Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs - (Posted: 2012-12-19 00:00:00)
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