Dear Neighbors,
Since we’re just a few weeks away from the end of session, we’re discussing a number of bills for final passage. Three of my bills are in the final stages of the legislative process, and I’m hopeful they’ll become law this year.
Caring for a Spouse
One bill included in the Health and Human Services omnibus helps ensure families struggling with medical costs won’t have to use their retirement or college savings. The bill, HF3729, allows for greater access to medical assistance if a person’s spouse is institutionalized and they would need to reach into their savings to pay their healthcare bills. The reason this has become a problem is a bad provision in the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA).
We heard heartbreaking testimony in committee from families who may spend their entire retirement to cover their medical costs. Minnesotans shouldn’t have to worry about losing their lifelong retirement savings in order to pay for treatment. The other option families face is going through an unwanted divorce just to keep their retirement savings that is rightfully theirs. This is a compassionate bill to help Minnesotans when they need it most, and rights one of the wrongs in the ACA.
Long Term Care Assistance
In order to improve long term care in our state, I authored HF3199 to help the ombudsman for long term care comply with current federal law. We’re facing a growing aging population, and need to stay ahead of this wave. In the next year, almost 60,000 Minnesotans will turn 65, and we’ll soon have more seniors than all K-12 students. To help prepare for our increasing aging growth, we need more accountability for our state agencies.
Training More Nurses
Our state, especially in Greater Minnesota has a shortage of nurses and other healthcare professionals. Families in rural cities and towns deserve the same care we have in the Twin Cities. My bill, HF3241, creates a grant program to expand the training of physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, and mental health professionals. In order to tackle this shortage, we need to incentivize bright, talented people to enter the health field.
I look forward to more discussions on my bills as we head into the final weeks of session. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at your convenience.
Have a great week,
Tony