Friends,
This was a busy week that began with Governor Dayton delivering his State of the State address on Monday where he collapsed. On Tuesday the Governor informed us all that he has been diagnosed with cancer. I hope you will join me in praying for the Governor’s health and recovery moving forward.
Here is my update from the Capitol:
Health Care Relief Bill signed into law
Following final negotiations throughout the past week, the Senate and House each passed a final version of the health care premium relief bill and Governor Dayton signed it late on Thursday evening. In total, the relief package totaling almost $327 million will be taken from budget reserves. Here is a quick overview of the final bill:
- $311,945,000.00 in premium relief will go to Minnesotans who purchased health care in the individual market.
- Anyone who purchased coverage from the individual market will receive a 25 percent discount on their premium invoices.
- $15 million will go to guaranteeing continuity-of-care for those currently undergoing life-saving treatment for an extra 120 days.
Reforms were also included to increase access and choices to avoid out-of-control premium increases happening again. These are the first set of reforms with many more proposals for reform to come.
- Increase transparency by requiring the publishing of preliminary rate filings within 10 days of receiving them. This will make sure we won’t be blindsided again by huge rate increases so late in the year. If this requirement had been in place, the Legislature could have taken action to improve the 2017 market.
- Improve Access by allowing dropping the requirement that only non-profit HMOs to operate in Minnesota. This will allow for more choices in Minnesota’s market. This bill also makes it easier for small businesses to offer affordable plans by making changes to stop loss requirements for small businesses.
- End to surprise billing from health care providers. Surprise billing is when an in-network provider uses an out-of-center provider, such as an anesthesiologist or lab for tests, and bills the patient for out-of-network cost.
School Choice Week
This week was also School Choice Week. School Choice is important as we try to make sure every student is able to have access to a great education, regardless of zip code. On Tuesday, we heard HF386 the Education and Opportunity Scholarship Act a bill that I have co-authored. The bill creates a new tax credit for donations to organizations that provide scholarships to students seeking an alternative to public schools.
It’s important we look at all options when trying to achieve our universal goal of making sure every Minnesotan gets a world-class education. I look forward to continuing this conversation over the rest of this session.
As always, please continue to stay in touch to share your thoughts and ideas on the bills heard in committee and in session. You can schedule a time to meet with me in my office any time by calling my office at (651) 296-9463, or share your thoughts via email by emailing me at rep.drew.christensen@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Drew