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State Representative Pat Garofalo
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1069
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
Rep. Pat Garofalo’s Capitol Report ---------- HELPING EMPLOYERS PROVIDE INSURANCE FOR WORKERS
By Pat Garofalo
State Representative, District 36B, Farmington
Minnesotans got a good case of sticker shock last year when state finance officials looked at the future cost of government assisted health care. Taxpayer-paid health care spending was projected to skyrocket by 24 percent!
Governor Tim Pawlenty made some tough choices in his January budget, scaling back overall HHS spending increases to 15 percent. Part of the scaling down included a realignment of taxpayer paid health care programs. Eligibility was tightened for many programs serving adults without kids. Even with the proposed changes, Minnesota will continue to offer a more extensive set of public health care benefits than other states in the upper Midwest.
One underlying problem is that health care and health insurance costs in general have climbed so much. Individuals with private insurance are experiencing higher premiums. Many small businesses find they can no longer afford to offer insurance to their employees. In some cases, workers are left with no option but to apply for taxpayer-paid health care.
What can we do to help Main Street businesses provide health insurance for their employees? One bill in the Minnesota House would ease state mandates to allow for flexible, competitive, low-cost insurance packages that employers can design for their employees. Wouldn’t a bit more competition help lower prices? You can shop around and choose from among dozens of car insurance providers to get a good price. Why not health insurance?
Another bill would bring Minnesota in compliance with federal tax policies regarding the sale of Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs. By doing so, bill authors hope to stimulate the market for these lower-cost health insurance alternatives. HSAs work like this. Your employer would give you cash in an account you own out-of-pocket medical expenses. This is combined with a high-deductible, lower-cost insurance policy. Money in the account rolls over year to year. You can use the money for drug purchases or for doctor visits. HSAs have already lowered health care costs in Minnesota.
Controlling high health care and insurance costs is a top legislative priority.
BONDING BILL
The Minnesota House recently passed its 2005 capital investment bill. It is balanced and addresses top priorities – higher education, transportation, public safety, economic development and the environment. At $816 million, the bill spends about the same as Governor Pawlenty’s bonding proposal and is $200 million less than what has been proposed by the Senate. The legislation now heads to a conference committee with the Senate. A finished bonding bill could be ready by mid-March.
I was glad to see that the bill includes $10 million for the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project. The legislation, which I co-authored, would grant authority to the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority to plan, construct and run the bus service along the Cedar Avenue corridor. The Cedar rapid bus way is a big piece of the puzzle to help ease traffic congestion in the south metro area. I was also glad to see that the bill sets aside $15 million for the Minnesota Zoo for exhibits and asset preservation. The zoological gardens are a regional asset. Both the Governor and the Senate have zoo money in their bills, so I’m optimistic that the zoo projects will be included in the final bonding bill.
Rep. Garofalo’s legislative address is 429 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. His phone number is 651-296-1069 or toll-free at 888-667-3337. His e-mail address is rep.pat.garofalo@house.mn.
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News Items
- GAROFALO PREPARES FOR NEW TERM - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:00PM)
- Rep. Garofalo Announces Passage of Bill to Pay Back the K-12 School Shift - (Posted: 2012-04-03 00:00:00)
- HOARD CASH OR PAY OFF DEBT? - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
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