St. Paul, Minn. – Today, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton released his biennial budget proposal to the public, which outlined many of his key priorities for the legislative session. Included in the budget are initiatives to increase the affordable, high-quality health care options available to Minnesotans. One of these applauded by state Rep. Jennifer Schultz (DFL – Duluth) is to create a “public option” enabling all Minnesotans to directly buy into MinnesotaCare, a successful program available to working Minnesotans who make less than a certain income.
“With current premiums out of reach for many families, along with an unstable private insurance market and questions of what’s to come from the federal government, it’s important we look at creative ways to expand access,” Rep. Schultz said. “I’m thankful that the Governor is showing leadership in bringing forth solutions which will help alleviate this economic crisis.”
Gov. Dayton also renewed his call for a 25 percent discount toward the insurance premiums of Minnesotans who have been experiencing skyrocketing increases in the individual market. Beyond just addressing premiums, Rep. Schultz agrees with other reforms brought forth in Gov. Dayton’s budget.
“From increased mental health reimbursements, to increased reimbursements for dental coverage, to improving the continuity of care, to providing transparency for HMOs, the Governor’s budget has plenty of terrific ideas to improve the health care Minnesotans receive,” Rep. Schultz said. “I’m optimistic the proposals outlined in this budget will put us in a position to take meaningful action on some of these and other important parts of the delivery system, while making sure Minnesotans can continue to afford high-quality care.”
Rep. Schultz serves on the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee, and anticipates a thorough discussion of this area of the budget, and looks forward to hearing input from the public on the initiatives it contains.