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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Sandra Masin

579 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3533

For more information contact: Chris Shields 651-296-8873

Posted: 2007-01-17 00:00:00
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Column/LTE

WE ALL BENEFIT WHEN KIDS GET CARE

To the Editor:

Many people I talk to about health care are shocked to learn that nearly 70,000 Minnesota kids don't have health insurance. More than 11,000 of those children are under the age of five. Not only is it a tragedy that kids are denied early care for minor things like strep throat, but we all end up paying for it. When these children get seriously ill, they go to the emergency room. In most cases their parents can't afford to pay for care and the costs get passed on to everyone else through higher co-pays and higher insurance premiums.

Fortunately, there is a solution. The House Health Committee recently heard testimony on legislation that will make sure every Minnesota child has health insurance. The plan begins through outreach to families of the 53,000 uninsured children who are eligible for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare, the state insurance plan that many working Minnesotans pay for on a sliding scale. The remaining children would become eligible for MinnesotaCare, with their parents paying a premium. For a family living at twice the federal poverty level, a MinnesotaCare premium for a child would be $64 per month.

While the state would incur some costs to cover all kids, we have a way to pay for it that won't affect the state's general budget. The federal government already pays half the costs of covering kids through Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. The remaining costs will be covered by a sizable surplus in the Health Care Access Fund. This fund was created when Governor Carlson signed bi-partisan legislation creating MinnesotaCare in the mid-90s to collect a 2% provider tax that pays for the insurance program. In effect, we all continue paying a little, so we don't end up paying a lot down the road.

I'm confident that we can get this legislation passed and signed into law this year. Governor Pawlenty has already indicated that he supports covering all Minnesota children with health insurance and leaders in the House and Senate have made it a top priority. I look forward to working with him and legislative leaders in making sure all kids get the care they need and deserve.

Sincerely,

Rep. Sandra Masin
Eagan

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