Health care reform a positive of the 2008 session

Dan Skogen

Published Friday, June 27, 2008

By Dan Skogen

State Senator

A positive accomplishment of the 2008 legislature was passage of a health care reform package.

The legislation passed and signed by the governor will reduce health care spending by 10 percent over the next five years and insure an additional 12,000 working Minnesotans.

Passage of this legislation was overdue. It is the result of a lot of hard work by diligent legislators who put a great deal of effort into designing the final legislative product.

The legislation was based upon a year’s worth of work by bipartisan health care commissions and task forces that have been working to solve one of the most pressing problems facing Minnesotans — access and cost of health insurance.

Reform initiatives include additional investments in public health, increased use of health care homes, ensuring more access to health insurance, and changing the way providers are paid for their services.

Once again, Minnesota is a leader in health care initiatives and reform. Our uninsured rate is the lowest in the country, and we are known for our top-notch medical institutions. But we can’t rest on our laurels. We must continue to improve so our reform efforts can be a model for the nation

Payment reform was also a major component of the legislation that passed. Reform measures include paying health care providers for the quality of service they deliver, not the quantity of services given. A process for making prices of services public will also be put in place.

Health promotion grants to be available state-wide will focus efforts on public health initiatives. Comm-unities will be able to use the grants for programs that aim at reducing obesity and tobacco use.

Our rising health care costs can not be sustained. By investing in preventative measures to curb chronic illnesses such as diabetes, we can curb future health care cost increases. Many uninsured Minnesotans use Emergency Room care for their health care needs and this is one of the most expensive forms of medicine; so by preventing trips to the emergency room, we will save money in the long run.

Although we made significant gains this year, we will continue to advocate for improvements next session helping small businesses offer affordable health insurance options to employees, continuing to focus on prevention of chronic diseases, and making sure that all Minnesotans have access to quality and affordable health care services will be priorities in the 2009 Legislative Session.

We have nearly 400,000 uninsured people in Minnesota, almost a quarter of them children. Those fortunate enough to have insurance often still struggle to afford the premiums, co-pays, and additional out-of-pocket expenses. I am committed to ensuring all Minnesotans have access to affordable health care and that skyrocketing prices be brought under control.”