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Omnibus health bill grows by $52 million for child protection recommendations

For the second time in a week, proposed spending on health care increased to accommodate additional provisions amended into HF1638, the omnibus house health and human services finance bill.

On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee took $52 million out of its budget reserve to fund proposals from the Governor’s Task Force on the Protection of Children. The proposals were amended into the omnibus bill.

On Monday, the committee added $139.66 million in the next biennium. The overall omnibus health and human services finance bill would now spend $11.81 billion in combined funds.

Sponsored by Rep. Matt Dean (R-Dellwood), the bill was approved as amended by the committee on a split-voice vote and now moves to the full House. Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick) sponsors a companion, SF1458, which awaits action by the full Senate.

The increase would fund several task force recommendations, such as early intervention for American Indian families at risk of child maltreatment, grants to address child welfare disparities, and putting together a child fatality and near-fatality review team to look at cases due to child maltreatment or deaths not due to natural causes.

On-site local reviews involving the Department of Human Services, local counties and tribal child welfare agencies would focus on critical elements of cases and on the involvement of the child and family with the county or tribal child welfare agency.

The review team would be tasked with identifying program improvements and the training and technical assistance needs of the local agency.

Other amendments adopted Thursday would:

  • increase payment rates by 10 percent in the next fiscal year for physical, occupational and speech therapy services provided as home health services;
  • require a health plan company to make information describing the health plans offered and their availability to the public on the company website, besides other means to people without Internet access;
  • develop an incentive program for innovation in achieving integrated employment, and living in the most integrated setting for persons with disabilities;
  • continue the State Quality Council; and
  • expand the distance that a licensed plumber can travel to repair a well if there is not a licensed well contractor within 50 miles.

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