April 25, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amanda Tinsley
651-297-8134
Amanda Tinsley
News Release
HOUSE DEMOCRATS VOTING TO RAISE HEALTH CARE COSTS, CUT NURSING HOMES
ST. PAUL, MN—House Democrats are expected to vote Thursday on their Health and Human Services Finance bill (HF2414) which increases health care costs, makes harmful cuts to nursing homes that provide care to aging Minnesotans, and fails to prevent rampant fraud in Minnesota's childcare and other public programs. At more than 1100 pages, HF2414 is believed to be the largest bill in state history.
“With this bill, Democrats are hurting those who need our help the most,” said Rep. Mary Franson, Republican lead on the Early Childhood Finance and Policy Division. “They continue to ignore the issue of fraud in the Childcare Assistance Program, voting down almost all of my amendments to bring some accountability to the program. They’re also raising taxes on doctor visits and medical procedures, and cutting funding for our nursing homes. This is a bad bill for families, and these harmful policies are absolutely unacceptable.”
The bill includes an extension of the provider tax that will add more than $2.5 billion to the cost of Minnesotans' health care over the next four years, and includes changes to nursing home reimbursement rates that result in $68 million in cuts to Minnesota nursing facilities. The bill also fails to extend Minnesota's reinsurance program, which could cause premium rates to skyrocket next year.
Democrats also included minimal changes to combat rampant fraud in public programs. This session, Democrats refused to hold hearings on reports from the non-partisan legislative auditor on fraud in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and refused to give hearings to numerous Republican-backed bills to prevent fraud and address recommendations in the OLA reports.
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