HHS conferees confer

Conferees began work April 13 on the omnibus health and human services finance bill (HF927/ SF760*) by reviewing a side-by-side comparison in revenues and expenditures among the House and Senate versions. Each calls for about $1.6 billion in cuts from projected General Fund spending in the next biennium.

Although there are differences, the target numbers are close, and the two bodies should be able to resolve their differences in a productive way, said Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie), who chairs the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

The House version contains a $300 million global Medicaid waiver that is not contained in the Senate’s proposal.

The Senate outlines $921 million in savings from elimination of Medical Assistance eligibility for adults without children that would take effect by Oct. 21, 2011. The House version shows $457 million in savings for the same program at a later date.

Conferees are expected to meet April 18, before the Legislature takes a weeklong break, said Rep. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), who chairs the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee.

The governor’s appointed health and human services commissioners and their staff are expected to be included in the discussion throughout the conference committee process. Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson told conferees that the governor will refrain from negotiating on the bill until after the House and the Senate have worked out their differences.

One of the governor’s biggest concerns on the bill is the budget targets placed by the House and Senate, Jesson said.

“But while there are significant differences between Gov. Dayton’s proposal and those made in your health and human services bill there are certainly also areas of agreement, and I remain confident that we will find numerous areas for cooperation and agreement,” she said.