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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
AREA HOSPITALS TAKE A BIG HIT UNDER GOVERNOR'S BUDGET PROPOSAL
There has been much discussion about the impact of the Governor's budget proposal on health care in our state. Figures that were released this week show just how damaging this budget would be for hospitals.
The cuts come from two primary areas: reimbursement rates to hospitals through Medical Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care and MinnesotaCare programs will be reduced by 5%, and eligibility guidelines for MinnesotaCare will be changed.
The Governor's proposal will cut adults without children from MinnesotaCare. In Steele County there are 134 adults who fall into this category. Rice County has another 234. Unless they make less than $580 a month or have health care expenses that bring their income down to that level, they will be cut. This change will cause 27,000 people statewide to lose their health insurance.
When people lose their health care coverage, they often put off seeking treatment when they first get sick, making the emergency room the first stop for health care. ER care is more expensive and often goes unpaid, causing all of our health care costs and insurance premiums to increase.
These two proposed cuts will have a staggering impact on hospitals that are already struggling to survive. In our area, it is estimated that the total impact of these cuts in 2006-2007 will be:
Owatonna Hospital Steele County -$542,139
District One Hospital Rice County -$537,502
We can't continue to cut health care services as a way to balance the budget. Another round has the very real potential of forcing some of our hospitals to close. Clearly, this budget proposal is not an answer to the growing health care crisis our state is facing.
We all need to think long and hard before we take another step toward underfunding and undermining one of our core Minnesota values, that of providing adequate and affordable health care for all of our citizens.
Please feel free to contact me with advice or questions. You can call me at 1-800-292-0012, write to me at 239 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155 or email me 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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