Bill includes premium relief, preservation of care, reforms to increase competition and choice
ST. PAUL, MN—The Minnesota House overwhelmingly approved the conference committee report for Senate File 1 Thursday on a vote of 108-19. The bill provides a 25 percent premium reduction to Minnesotans who do not qualify for MNsure tax credits on the individual market, and includes key Republican-led reforms to preserve care for those receiving life-saving treatments and increase competition and consumer choice moving forward. The bill passed the Senate earlier Thursday afternoon with bipartisan support, and Governor Dayton signed the bill into law.
“Many Woodbury residents have shared their frustration and struggle to afford higher premiums which increased by more than 50 percent for many families again this year,” said Rep. Kelly Fenton, R-Woodbury. “I am pleased we were able to come to a bipartisan compromise and get this done right away for the people of Minnesota. This legislation not only provides needed financial relief, but also implements a number of commonsense reforms to begin turning around our state’s MNsure mess, increasing protections and choice for consumers, preserving care for those needing life-saving treatments, and providing greater transparency in our health insurance market.”
GOP-led reforms included in the final bill include:
- Allowing for-profit HMOs to operate in Minnesota (like most states) which will increase options for consumers
- Modifying stop loss coverage to make it easier for more small businesses to offer affordable insurance to their employees.
- Providing greater transparency for proposed insurance premium changes by requiring earlier disclosure of proposed rates.
- Allowing Agricultural Cooperatives to offer group health insurance to their members so farmers and their families can get better access to care and more affordable coverage.
- Ensuring Minnesota employees can benefit from the recently passed federal 21st Century Cures Act which allows employers to make pre-tax contributions toward employee health insurance costs.
- Network adequacy reform that will assist in ensuring more options for residents in rural Minnesota.
Prohibiting surprise billing to protect consumers from previously undisclosed costs.