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State Representative Leon Lillie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1188
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
NEWS COLUMN
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BILL CUTTING PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS
(ST. PAUL) — There are some in our community who need a little help: the vulnerable, the disabled and our seniors. This is even more so the case with a struggling economy and an aging population. It’s our obligation to help those who struggle to look out for themselves, and I truly believe that’s not a Democratic value or a Republican value; it’s a Minnesota value.
Unfortunately though, the House and Senate health and human services finance bills do not share these values. The House version cuts $1.6 billion dollars, and repeals the expansion of Medicaid put in place by Governor Dayton. This program provides 90,000 of the poorest Minnesotans with health insurance. Repealing this not only dramatically hurts our poor and vulnerable, but it would also keep the state from using $800 million in federal money. Then, if this program were repealed, these people would still need care, and would show up in emergency rooms, costing us far more money in the long run. The bill also makes extensive cuts to nursing homes and other services that our seniors rely on.
I’m deeply concerned about the effects these cuts would have on our poor, disabled, and seniors. Times are tough, people are hurting, and we have a large budget deficit. But it’s also our duty to help people; it’s our duty to support our fellow Minnesotans, not leave them out in the cold to suffer.
On top of all this, the repeal of Medical Assistance combined with the other cuts, will result in the loss of over 20,000 jobs in the private sector health care industry. Much of the funding being cut in this bill goes directly to health care providers and hospitals. Some of these hospitals may not be able to survive these cuts and the ones that do may have to lay off nurses, doctors, and other staff. For those of us in the area, this has direct ramifications. I’m worried about the damage this bill will cause to the HealthEast Care System, specifically, St. John’s Hospital. St. John’s is vital to our community and the inevitable job losses that will be caused by this bill would be a blow. We’ve come to know St. John’s for its great, high-quality health care and service. The full impact of these cuts at the state and local level isn’t fully known, but I can’t imagine they will be good for our community.
With our economy the way it is it probably isn’t the best time for us to lose more jobs and damage the high-quality health care system we all enjoy and value in Minnesota.
As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions, suggestions and concerns. My office is room 281 in the State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1188 and by email at rep.leon.lillie@house.mn. You can also monitor activities at the House, track bills, watch live video and sign up for my email update list by going to http://house.mn.
Leon Lillie
State Representative
District 55A
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