ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House of Representatives approved on Monday the Omnibus Health and Human Services bill by a 70-64 vote. The bill reduces the HHS budget by $150 million while protecting Minnesota’s seniors and most vulnerable citizens. Nursing homes will receive a 3 percent cost-of-living rate increase and long-term care facilities will see a 2 percent increase in the HHS package. This is the first rate increase in four years.
“Our nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been deeply cut for several years,” said Rep. Patti Fritz (DFL-Faribault). “This rate increase will help our care providers to reduce turnover and improve the quality of care to seniors and vulnerable citizens. This is a step in the right direction towards addressing the crisis of long-term care that we face in Southern Minnesota.”
A bipartisan amendment was added to reduce the existing nursing home surcharge (often called the “granny tax”) by $440 per bed. The amendment passed unanimously.
Several initiatives authored by Rep. Fritz are included in the HHS bill, including adding screening for critical congenital heart disease to the state’s newborn screening programs by using pulse oximetry. The state’s existing newborn screening programs are public health programs through which all infants born in the state are screened for more than 50 disorders, including hearing loss.
“Pulse oximetry is a low-cost and highly effective way to screen our newborns for heart defects,” said Rep. Fritz. “This bipartisan issue was brought to me by the American Heart Association and it will help countless infants and their families in the Faribault area and across the state.”
Another initiative in the HHS bill authored by Rep. Fritz requires child care providers to place an infant to sleep on its back unless the provider has documentation from a physician to place the infant in an alternative sleeping position. The infants must be placed on their back until they are one year old or until they can roll over on their own.
“Infants found to be sleeping on their stomachs have a higher risk of infant mortality,” said Rep. Fritz. “This initiative is the product of a health department study to reduce child deaths in Minnesota.”
The bill was amended on the floor to include new licensing and inspection restrictions on health facilities that provide ten or more abortions each month.
“I voted in favor of this pro-life amendment,” said Rep. Fritz. “It is a step towards protecting women’s health and making sure that all children have the right to life.”
The bill also includes targeted reductions to existing programs, funds cost-preventing mental health initiatives for children and adults, helps low-income families and children and improves Minnesota’s public health and health care programs.
Rep. Fritz can be reached by phone at (651) 296-8237 or by email at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn.
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