Accessibility menu
State Representative Kim Norton
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9249
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
Column/LTE
HOUSE PASSES MAJOR HEALTH CARE REFORM PACKAGE
ST. PAUL - Today, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a comprehensive Health Care Reform package (HF 3391) that will begin putting an end to rising health care costs for Minnesotans - making our state a healthier, better, and more affordable place to live. The bill passed in the House by a vote of 83 to 50.
"With skyrocketing premiums and a broken health care system, this important reform effort comes at a crucial time," said Rep. Kim Norton (DFL - Rochester) who participated in the Health Care Access Commission and serves on the House Health and Human Services Committee responsible for crafting the legislation. "Minnesotans can't afford to continue on the same, broken course. We need to seriously reform our current health care system, and that's what this bill gets at."
According to the Census Bureau, more Minnesotans are without health insurance than ever before - the rising cost of health care being the number one barrier to affordable health care coverage. Over the last ten years, health care premiums in Minnesota have more than doubled - making access to affordable health care increasingly difficult. In fact, 1 in 5 Minnesotans (approximately 1 million people) spend 10 percent or more of their annual income on health care. Of that 1 million Minnesotans, 250,000 spend over 25 percent of their income on health care.
"When Minnesotans are spending 10 to 25 percent of their income on health care, we've got a serious problem," said Norton. "Nobody should be forced to sacrifice their livelihood to pay an insurance premium or fill a prescription. This bill would make health care more affordable for Minnesotans."
The rising cost of health care is taking a toll on the state budget as well. If nothing is done to resolve the problems currently facing Minnesota's health care system, state spending on health care will top $10 billion by 2011. By reforming the state payment system under HF 3391, Minnesota could make health care coverage more affordable and accessible for Minnesotans while reducing state health care spending over $2 billion by 2011.
The Health Care Reform bill passed today takes a new approach at reforming Minnesota's health care system. It focuses on improving the quality of health care in Minnesota, expanding current efforts at preventative care, and lowering health care costs associated with chronic health care conditions. The bill would then take savings accrued from these reforms to ensure that no Minnesotan pays more than 8 percent of their annual income on health care costs.
HF 3391 would:
§ Ensure 96 percent of Minnesotans have health care coverage by 2011;
§ Promote cost-effective, high quality health care;
§ Lower administrative costs (including a provision authored by Rep. Norton to cut down on administrative
waste);
§ Promote public health; and
§ Provide coverage to an additional 133 thousand Minnesotans over the next three years.
"By making the system focused on preventative health care, we can lower the costs associated with long-term chronic illnesses, and other expensive medical conditions that have been driving costs through the roof," said Norton. "This is a proactive health care approach that will lead the nation in tackling health care from a different perspective. It streamlines administrative costs and cuts down on inefficient bureaucratic procedures, and focuses on making Minnesota healthier."
This important piece of legislation was developed over the course of the last ten months at 75 hearings held by the Legislative Health Care Access Commission, the Transformation Task Force, and the House Health and Human Services Committee. Testimony and participation from health practitioners, the insurance industry, and health policy experts from across the political spectrum was instrumental in crafting this proposal.
"This bill is the result of an innovative partnership between the public and private sector," said Norton. "By joining forces to tackle the problem together, we were able to establish a comprehensive approach in the best interest of all Minnesotans. This is an issue that affects all of us."
As a participant in the Health Care Access Commission and a member of the House Health and Human Services Committee, Norton was highly involved in these important discussions and instrumental in drafting the final bill.
"This is a good bill, and I hope it becomes law," said Norton. "I remain committed to achieving solid health care reform this year that will significantly improve our health care system, lower costs, and provide access to affordable health care for all Minnesotans."
The bill will now move to conference committee before being sent to Governor Pawlenty for final approval. More information about HF 3391 can be found online at www.house.mn.
News Items
- Rep. Norton Selected as Vice Chair of House Health and Human Services Finance Committee - (Posted: 2012-12-14 00:00:00)
- It’s Time for Legislature to Get Back to Basics, Balance the Budget Honestly - (Posted: 2012-12-11 00:00:00)
- Second Saturday Coffee Meeting Date Changed to December 9 - (Posted: 2012-12-03 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.