Hello from the Capitol!
As I am sure you have heard, Governor Dayton experienced a bit of a health scare earlier in the week while delivering his State of State address on Monday. He then announced to the media the next day that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Please join me in keeping the Governor and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Passage of Senate File 1 (Premium Relief):
On Thursday afternoon, the House and Senate overwhelmingly approved the conference committee report for Senate File 1, and by Thursday evening it was signed by the Governor. The bill provides a 25% premium reduction to Minnesotans who do not qualify for MNsure tax credits on the individual market, and includes key reforms to preserve care for those receiving life-saving treatments and increase competition and consumer choice moving forward.
Some of the reforms in this bill include:
- Allowing for-profit HMOs to operate in Minnesota (like most states) which will increase options for consumers
- Modifying stop loss coverage to make it easier for more small businesses to offer affordable insurance to their employees.
- Providing greater transparency for proposed insurance premium changes by requiring earlier disclosure of proposed rates.
- Allowing Agricultural Cooperatives to offer group health insurance to their members so farmers and their families can get better access to care and more affordable coverage.
- Ensuring Minnesota employees can benefit from the recently passed federal 21st Century Cures Act which allows employers to make pre-tax contributions toward employee health insurance costs.
- Network adequacy reform that will assist in ensuring more options for residents in rural Minnesota.
- Prohibiting surprise billing to protect consumers from previously undisclosed costs.
It was great meeting with Amber Cameron, constituent from Burnsville, regarding educational issues this past Wednesday.
I also met with a great bunch of students with Sterling Education from Burnsville at the Capitol.
Dakota County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy:
Starting Thursdays from February 16th to March 23rd, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office is hosting its annual 6 week citizens academy from 6:00 – 9:00 PM. If you are interested in learning more about law enforcement, as well as the inner workings of our Sheriff’s department, I would recommend signing up. If you would like more information, or to register, contact: Captain Jim Rogers at either 651-438-4751 or jim.rogers@co.dakota.mn.us before February 9th.
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-5387 or rep.roz.peterson@house.mn.
Sincerely,
