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State Representative Tara Mack
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5506
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Email update
Protecting our most vulnerable citizens with greater efficiency
Greetings from the Capitol!
The House passed its health and human services finance bill this week. Our objective is to establish a system which continues protecting our most vulnerable citizens while increasing efficiency.
We all know these are tough economic times and the simple truth is the choices we face in erasing a $5 billion budget shortfall are enormous. We are looking to enact reform throughout government, especially in areas which account for significant portions of state spending. That includes HHS, which receives approximately 30 percent of our General Fund dollars.
The real issue is HHS spending has more than doubled over the last decade and is projected to rise by another 20 percent in the next two years. This trajectory is unsustainable and represents a false promise to the people who rely on our state for care.
As a member of two HHS committees, I have been closely involved with improving this program. The ideas we put forth would put HHS on a sustainable track before HHS collapses under its own weight. Our plan focuses on technology and innovation to help reduce costs so we can continue providing core services to our most vulnerable citizens and still meet the realities of an aging population and rising health care costs.
Some people would have you believe our proposal cuts HHS to the bone, but that is not the case. If you remember only one thing about this issue, make it be that our House bill provides a $520 million increase from the last biennium, for a $10.7 billion appropriation.
Furthermore, the bill we passed has better funding overall for senior services compared with the Senate and the governor. And, unlike what the governor proposed, our plan spares nursing homes from across-the-board cuts.
There are a number of reforms in the bill, including one I authored. My proposal establishes a single online eligibility and application portal for HHS. This site would enable individuals and community providers to easily access information to determine eligibility and complete the application process.
We do propose some welfare reform in the name of program integrity, including requiring that EBT cards have names on them, can't be used for alcohol or tobacco and can't be used out of state except for food.
We also repeal the early enrollment in Medical Assistance that hospitals as well as a number of advocacy groups dislike.
The only people certain to lose coverage are some 7,000 adults above 200 percent of the federal poverty level who used to receive MNCare. This is generous compared with other states. Wisconsin has proposed to reduce their coverage to 133%, which is the new federal standard.
COMMUNITY PARAMEDICS
On a different health care note, the governor this week signed into law a bill I authored to create community paramedics. This will help fill gaps in underserved communities by allowing emergency medical technicians to be certified and expand their roles. EMTs will be able to monitor and provide some treatment to patients with chronic disease, and perform minor medical procedures intended to prevent ambulatory or emergency room services. This flexibility allowed a similar program based in Fort Worth, Tex., to save taxpayers $640,000 per year in avoidable hospital visits.
Sorry this email grew rather long, but HHS is very important to me and I wanted to give this complex issue extra attention. Please continue sending me your thoughts on this or any topic by emailing rep.tara.mack@house.mn, or by calling (651) 296-5506.
Have a great weekend and GO, TWINS!
Tara
News Items
- 2013 survey results - (Posted: May 17 2013 5:08PM)
- Rep. Mack's 2013 survey - (Posted: Apr 22 2013 4:37PM)
- Budget news, health insurance exchange and more - (Posted: Mar 22 2013 12:00AM)
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