ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House of Representatives approved a Health and Human Services (HHS) budget bill late last night by a vote of 73 to 61.
The bill (HF 1233) funds a comprehensive set of new and improved mental health programs for children and adults, modernizes and improves MinnesotaCare in order to continue providing affordable, high-quality health care coverage for low-income Minnesotans, and includes the first funding increase for nursing home workers in four years.
It reduces the HHS budget by $50 million over the next two years using targeted cuts, reforms, and re-prioritization while protecting the most vulnerable Minnesotans
“This is a good bill,” said Rep. Jeanne Poppe (DFL—Austin). “It increases access to high-quality health care, provides strong support for children and adults struggling with mental illness, and gives a long-overdue funding increase to nursing home workers. After the previous legislature cut over $1 billion from the HHS budget, I’m glad we’re taking a more compassionate approach and supporting the most vulnerable among us.”
The range of children’s mental health initiatives in the bill has broad bipartisan support. It funds Governor Dayton’s request for expanding school-based mental health services for children, enhances MA-eligible services for children with mental illnesses, and improves austim coverage.
The bill also pays for innovative mental health programs for adults. They include an expansion of mobile mental health crisis response services across the state and funding for mental and chemical health pilot projects.
The bill achieves $50 million in spending reductions through additional Affordable Care Act (ACA) savings, reducing HMO allowable administrative expenses, and reforming the payment methods for the HMO and hospital surcharges.
It continues implementation of federal health reform. It allows Minnesota to assert more state-based control over federal health care dollars by modernizing of MinnesotaCare through the Basic Health Plan.
In addition, nursing home providers receive a five percent rate increase – the first increase in four years. 3.75 percent goes to employee compensation, with the remaining 1.25 percent tied to a quality assessment. It provides an additional 3.2 percent increase in 2015. Long-term care and home and community-based providers will receive a one percent rate increase effective April 1, 2014. They are eligible to receive an additional rate increase based on service quality.
Rep. Poppe encourages her constituents to contact her with any questions or comments. She can be reached by phone at (651) 296-4193, by email at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn, or by postal mail at 487 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.