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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
GUEST COLUMN
Legislature passes GAMC overhaul
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
The Legislature passed and sent to the governor March 24 the long-awaited fix to the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program. The bill was passed in the Senate before the House acted on the legislation, however, since language was the same in both chambers, the bill went directly to the Governor, who had earlier said he would sign the bill.
The bill provides for three separate pools of funding for those residents currently on GAMC. One area of funding goes to the state’s largest hospitals, those that provide care to most of these residents. The hospitals with the largest number of GAMC patients are Hennepin County Medical Center, Regions Hospital in St. Paul, and the University of Minnesota Fairview Medical Center. Seventeen of the state’s largest hospitals provide care for about 80 percent of those on GAMC, and these hospitals will form coordinated care delivery models. A total of $71 million will be available for this area of care. Hospitals in this group must consult with counties, county veterans service officers and the Veterans Administration to identify other programs for which GAMC recipients may be eligible.
The remainder of the state’s hospitals will be able to submit GAMC-eligible claims for the remainder of the year. There will by $21 million available for this type of care. At year’s end, these hospitals will need to become Coordinated Care Organizations themselves or form agreements with other hospitals within existing systems. Hospitals in District 13A, including those in Albany, Glenwood, Melrose, and Sauk Centre, would be part of this group.
The last source of funding is $45 million for prescription drugs.
This new program is for low income single adults between the ages of 18-64. To be eligible, applicants must earn less than $7,500 per year, have no more than $1,000 in assets, and meet a 30-day residency requirement.
This method of care marks a departure from more traditional means. It needs to be watched closely to make sure it fulfills its intended purpose. Since the program will save the state several hundred million dollars each biennium, it shows that, through negotiation, a new method of delivery can be crafted that does the job and does it more efficiently.
A proposal to allow slot machines at Minnesota’s two horse racing tracks was passed out of the House Ag and Veterans Affairs Committee March 24. The “racino” concept has been discussed in St. Paul for a number of years but has never gained much support. Under this plan, anticipated revenue for the state is $125 million per year and would be divided for use into five separate areas. I don’t know if the bill has much of a chance this session, but recent polls have shown fairly strong support for the concept. At our recent town hall meetings in Sauk Centre and Melrose, an unscientific show-of-hands also showed the idea had good support.
Testimony against the proposal came from those representing tribal casinos. They testified that allowing slots at Canterbury Park in Shokopee and at the Flying Aces harness track in Forest Lake would mean a loss of jobs at the casinos they represent.
The racino plan was attached as an amendment to an agriculture bill because it contained money for ag programs. Another of the funding areas was for “sports facilities,” which could be used to help finance a Vikings football stadium. The bill now goes before the House Finance Committee where it faces an uncertain future.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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