Dear Neighbors,
Yesterday was an important day at the Capitol. We passed a bill I co-authored, SF1, to provide immediate health insurance premium relief and start to reform our broken health care system.
The biggest changes coming from this bill will impact those who purchase their insurance on the individual market. If you don’t qualify for tax credits, our bill provides a 25% reduction in monthly premiums. When these monthly costs can run in the thousands, 25% off is a significant chunk.
We wanted to do more than make a financial impact around the state, so we included significant reforms that will also help Minnesotans.
Some Democrats pushed back on our reforms and accused Republicans of playing politics. It’s important to remember that Democrats passed Obamacare and MNsure without a single Republican vote at the state or federal level. I understand how it might be difficult to admit these initiatives have been utter disasters, but we’ve heard from residents throughout the state who want substantive change, not just throwing money at a problem.
While the relief was needed, so were reforms to continue critical care, increase competition in the insurance market, and give Minnesotans more choices for their insurance. These shouldn’t be controversial ideas; they’re common sense fixes. Thankfully, many Democrats supported the bill’s final passage, and the Governor quickly signed it into law.
We have more work to do to stabilize the individual market in the long-term. I look forward to the challenge, and welcome your ideas and input. Feel free to call or email my office and share what’s on your mind.
Have a great weekend,
Tony