Minnesota House of Representatives

Accessibility menu

Menu

Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Bob Dettmer

279 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4124

For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520

Posted: 2010-03-30 00:00:00
Share on: 



GUEST COLUMN

GAMC

Since the beginning of session in February there has been an ongoing debate in St. Paul on General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC). The program provides medical coverage to some of the poorest Minnesotans. Benefits were scheduled to end April 1 as part of Gov. Pawlenty’s unallotments last year. On March 24 the debate came to an end when the House successfully passed an agreement to maintain coverage for our neediest citizens while eliminating an inefficient program, saving hundreds of millions of dollars at the same time.

There were a few bumps along the way however. In February, the House passed a bill extending GAMC benefits for an additional 16 months. The bill lacked long-term reform, and the Governor vetoed it. GAMC was growing at unsustainable rates, and maintaining the status quo was simply not an option.

I originally voted for the bill as a move of good faith to continue the negotiations to develop a bill that constituted real reform. Even the bill’s author said it wasn’t perfect. Rather than reworking the bill in committee and returning it to the House floor (which is usually the case), leadership passed it straight through to Gov. Pawlenty’s desk. I upheld the veto as a way to return to the negotiating table to develop a complete long-term solution.

GAMC was bloated, inefficient and at risk of bankrupting our state. I believe this bill presented us with a false choice between two bad options: no coverage for GAMC recipients or a bill with little reform. Even the Majority Leader said on the floor that there were no other alternatives, but thankfully he was wrong.

Fortunately for Minnesotans, my colleagues and I were able to uphold Gov. Pawlenty’s decision. The costs of GAMC have been skyrocketing out of control, and they were projected to grow to $928 million next biennium. Since the veto we have been able to negotiate a new, nation-leading reform that provides coverage to the neediest Minnesotans and saves taxpayers more than $700 million.

The bill passed the House with broad bipartisan support and has been signed into law by Gov. Pawlenty. This agreement shows real reform is possible when you are willing to work for it. We just needed to shift focus from protecting an outdated, overpriced program, to providing for those who need it.

-- 30 --

News Items

Audio & Video

Galleries

No image galleries found

Minnesota House of Representatives  ·   100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, MN   55155   ·   Webmaster@house.mn