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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
GREATER MINNESOTA FACES UNIQUE HEALTH CARE CHALLENGES
One of the top priorities of the upcoming session is to develop a health care reform package, geared at reducing health care costs for every Minnesotan. We all know how much these costs have skyrocketed – from insurance premiums and co-pays to prescriptions and office calls, we are all paying substantially more for necessary wellness and sick care. State and federal systems are feeling the rising costs, as well, as they try to keep up with dramatic increases in Medicaid and Medicare. Clearly, this is a long-term fiscal crisis that demands a solution, but finding that solution will not be easy.
To help us craft a health care reform package, the Health and Human Services Committee, on which I serve, has been involved in numerous listening sessions and hearings across the state, including Faribault. (To view footage of the Faribault meeting, please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNs_gQZbb8c ) We have had a tremendous response from residents and health care workers alike; the room is packed at every meeting and people are telling us how much they appreciate the fact that we are coming into their communities. Our reform package will be based on a lot of the information we are hearing at these sessions, and we will work to address rising costs for providers, as well as consumers.
As we visit these communities in Greater Minnesota, we are becoming more and more aware of the unique challenges that face rural Minnesota with regard to health care. For instance, more rural Minnesotans lack health insurance than those living in urban areas. Minnesotans outside the Twin Cities are also more likely to rely on public programs to pay for health care. More alarming, a full 25% of rural Minnesotans who do have private health insurance spend themselves into medical debt because their coverage is too limited, or their deductibles too high, to provide meaningful coverage when it is needed.
In addition, medical professionals are in short supply in rural Minnesota, and the numbers of medical students choosing to enter primary care – the doctors who provide the vast majority of care in rural Minnesota - is rapidly declining. A major reason is that primary care doctors are paid significantly less than their specialist counterparts. Addressing these challenges will be a key part of our final plan.
As we search for ways to lower health care costs, there are a few basics I believe must be included. First of all, when it comes to health care, there should be a level playing field. Everyone should be able to afford it, and everyone should be able to get it. This means finding ways to increase the number of practitioners in rural Minnesota. For example, incentives could be offered to encourage medical students to go into family practice.
Another component of our health care reform proposal is the idea that patient care should be centered on primary care providers who will have greater responsibility to coordinate care and keep people healthy. Primary care doctors will be paid more as a result, making primary medicine a more attractive option for new doctors.
We are also exploring ways to remove licensing and regulatory barriers so that nurse practitioners and physician assistants can use all of their skills to provide high quality care at less expense.
Reducing the overall cost of health care will not be easy. I am convinced there are considerable savings to be made by reducing administrative costs. We also need to look at insurance reform, improved funding and utilization of public health services, and reducing expensive health services through prevention and reduction of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, among others.
There are many options to consider as we try to find a way to put the lid on rising health care costs, and it is clear there is no silver bullet. This is a challenge we must meet, however, if we want to continue our tradition of offering good health care to every Minnesotan.
Please feel free to contact me on this or any other issue. I can be reached at (651) 296-8237, 551 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn.
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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