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State Representative Bob Dettmer
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4124
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
NEWS COLUMN
Dettmer: Common-sense prescriptions for health care reform
By Bob Dettmer
State Representative
District 52A
Health care reform was the most talked about issue across our nation this past summer as Washington debated sweeping changes to the way our system operates. The debate reached a crescendo in Minnesota earlier this month when President Barack Obama held a rally in Minneapolis to promote his proposed reforms.
Despite most of the news focusing on what happens in Washington, D.C., health care reform is just as important at the state level, where we have been making some progress over the last few years. We have, I believe, a top-notch health care system in our state with high-quality providers and one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the country. Our goal should be to bring down the cost barriers, and here are some ways I think we can do that.
First, we have to preserve our health care freedoms. I am part of a legislative effort to put the Health Care Freedom Amendment on the ballot next year. If approved by voters, this constitutional amendment would prevent the government from restricting a person’s ability to purchase lawful, private health insurance. It would also prohibit government from imposing penalties or fines upon those who chose (for whatever reason) not to buy insurance.
Second, the health care system needs payment reform. The current system pays based on the volume of procedures performed, regardless of quality or outcomes. That is simply backwards. In Minnesota we have taken the first steps toward re-aligning our payment system to be value-based, and lawmakers in Washington would be well-advised to duplicate our model.
As we move toward a value-based system, consumers – you and me – need to be able to find cost and quality information to determine where we should go for care. A new Web site – www.mnhealthscores.org – can help us do that. When you have to purchase insurance, or when open enrollment comes around at your employer, I highly encourage you to visit this site and find information that can help you.
There are two reforms I think we can make right now and should be easy to get through the Legislature. One would be for the rest of the nation to adopt Minnesota’s model of requiring hospitals to report medical errors, which our providers do. Minnesota providers also agreed to not bill for medical errors, which should have been common sense in the first place. We also need to prevent insurance companies from denying insurance based on pre-existing conditions.
Last, but not least, we need to end the government-imposed prohibition against purchasing health insurance across state lines. If the best, most affordable health care for you is sold by a company in another state, there’s no reason government should stop you from buying it. That’s a simple example of government being involved where it doesn’t need to be, and it contributes to the problem.
I think there is common ground to be found within these principles on health care. While Washington spins its wheels, I will keep working with colleagues in the Minnesota House to get something productive accomplished and make reforms that will help families and businesses.
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Representative Dettmer encourages constituents to contact him with questions or opinions on any state legislative issue. He may be reached at rep.bob.dettmer@house.mn or 651.296.4124. Mail should be sent to Rep. Bob Dettmer, 251 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
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