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State Representative Jeanne Poppe
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4193
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
PROGNOSIS CRITICAL FOR STATE’S HOSPITALS
In late December of this past year, my sister, who lives in my small hometown in southeastern Minnesota, had a serious medical situation which found her as close to death as one could experience. She received fast and thorough action by the local volunteer ambulance crew who began the emergency response and transport to an area hospital. She continued to receive amazing care through the hospital emergency and intensive care staff when she arrived at that medical center. As my family prayed around her, we watched the work being done to keep her alive and the technological apparatus and human skill that literally saved her life. Miraculously it all came together so that six days later she walked out of the hospital. My family has a new appreciation for trained medical personnel and access to first rate health care.
My home in Austin is located one block from the Austin Medical Center, I sometimes hear the Mayo One helicopter arrive to transport seriously ill patients to Rochester for medical treatment. In fact, over this past week-end, I believe the helicopter came two or three times, offering expediency and hope to both patients and their families. It reminds me of the care and treatment my sister received just four months ago. The sound of the helicopter reassures me, and I am thankful our community can support both the hospital and the clinic. Residents in Austin know that whether it’s routine exams or a medical emergency, access to high quality health care is available for everyone.
How we respond to Minnesota’s staggering budget deficit has the potential to dramatically change that, however. While I believe most Minnesotans are accepting the fact that budget cuts will comprise a large part of the budget solution, I would encourage everyone to consider both the short and long-term ramifications of these cuts. When it comes to health care, the cuts will be especially damaging.
Last Friday, I met with Adam Rees, CAO of the Austin Medical Center. He shared with me the Medical Center’s concerns about the damage the Governor’s budget proposal will cause to our local clinic and hospital. Early estimates are that the Governor’s budget will cut nearly $5 million from the Austin Medical Center over the next two years. This includes indirect cuts, such as eliminating eligibility for MinnesotaCare adults, and direct cuts, including a 3% reduction in Medical Assistance (MA/Medicaid) payments. It also includes delaying payments and eliminating Medicaid quarterly payments. Cuts to our state Medical Assistance program are especially destructive because that program has a dollar-for-dollar federal match.
Statewide, it is estimated the Governor’s budget will cut over 100,000 Minnesotans off their MinnesotaCare health insurance plan, including 20,000 children. In 2008, the Austin Medical Center provided over $3 million in MN-Care; eliminating this benefit will not only cut these earnings, it will also increase the level of uncompensated care.
The Governor also tightens waivers for the disabled and raises the cost for people with private insurance with his reduction to the provider rate for hospitals. Dozens of clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes statewide could either close all together, or be forced to eliminate important services, such as mental health clinics, as a result of these damaging cuts.
Funding reductions of this magnitude will not only hurt patients and staff, they also have the potential to seriously harm our community. The Austin Medical Center provides close to one thousand important jobs; at a time when unemployment is at its highest level since 1983, our local economy cannot afford additional lay-offs.
As we enter the final five weeks of this legislative session the budget shortfall of $6.4 billion continues to lay ahead and will need to be addressed. So as you have conversations with your neighbors, friends and family, and the topic of balancing the state’s budget including cutting programs/services and eliminating spending comes up, consider how important having access to responsive and thorough health care is to you and your family. This recession will end, and when it does, we need our critical health care institutions to be intact. I don’t think we can afford to balance our state budget on the backs of patients, families, seniors and local health care providers.
Please continue to contact me with your questions and suggestions. I can be reached at 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn.
News Items
- POPPE SELECTED AS AGRICULTURE POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIR - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- Rep. Jeanne Poppe Encourages High School Juniors to Apply for Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program - Application Deadline is November 19th - (Posted: 2012-11-12 00:00:00)
- HORMEL INSTITUTE EXPANSION SIGNED INTO LAW - 2012 legislative session adjourns sine die - (Posted: 2012-05-11 00:00:00)
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