Tuesday Talk: Health Care Reform in Minnesota – What will it mean?
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:13 am By Chris ShieldsAs progress continues on federal health care reform, the final package is becoming clearer. While many likely reforms (such as high medical loss ratios) are already in effect here in Minnesota, there are a few key provisions that affect us.
Key reforms include expanded eligibility for Medicaid (which could be a solution for Minnesotans kicked off General Assistance Medical Care), tighter regulation of health insurance companies, and health insurance exchanges to allow individuals and small businesses to buy high quality insurance at an affordable price.
The proposed reform also requires non-profit insurance plans be part of the exchange, which is great considering all Minnesota health insurance providers must be non-profit.
What does this health care reform mean for Minnesota? Will it reduce our already low uninsured population? Is there anything we can do on the state level that leverages the reform to 100% coverage in Minnesota?
LikeTags: GAMC, Health Care Reform, Medicaid, Tuesday Talk
How are the insurance companies in Minnesota nonprofit? I see what they pay out for the company I work for and what they receive. They do make a large profit. Do the just increase exec pay based on the profit?
If you work for a Minnesota-based employer, your health insurance must be from a non-profit. That’s why United Health Group, despite being based in Minnesota cannot sell insurance plans to Minnesota-based employers. The cost is testament to how much health care costs have gotten out of control since Minnesota law requires that 90% of your premium go to actual health care.
I do work for Minnesota based company and we just received our renewal notice based on a 6 month period they will clear almost 16,000.00 profit that is after admin cost. I have been doing my job for 19 years and I can tell you without a doubt the insurance companies in this state make a profit.
Non-profit insurers in Minnesota must put the difference between dollars received as premiums and dollars paid out in claims in a special reserve account. That of BlueCross grows and grows and grows, but I guess they haven’t thought of cutting premium prices.
HOW TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSALITY? Enact John Marty’s Minnesota Health Plan. Every Minnesota resident would receive coverage for anything deemed medically necessary by his/her doctor. Financing would be with a progressive income tax on individuals and businesses. All funds would be paid into a fund controlled NOT by the governor and/or legislature, but an independent body. No one could be cut off. No patient would ever have to pay a bill or deductibles or co-pays. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? (Or maybe Canada.)
That would be how they get around that pesky NON-profit! Have to agree that the rest of the developed world seems to be happy with what they have.
I know that HealthPartners is a nonprofit. It’s my insurer and provider, and I like what they offer, and at a reasonable cost–and I took it out on my own after my employer backed insurance premiums doubled last year (Aetna).
We used to have them back when they were Medcenters, in a 6 year period we received a 200% increase in premiums. That was with a low claim usage. Have you had any claims and received your renewal yet for this coming year? We are a small company and just changed to preferred one in february and received notice of a 17% increase in premium. The 6 month period for eval shows them making 23% profit after admin, broker fee, claim and etc.
One of the first goals is to save money. Right? Second, to insure all, third, to provide quality care equitably while reducing redundancy. John Marty’s Minnesota Health Care Plan accomplishes all this. Clients pay no insurance premiums, but a tax smaller than insurance premiums is levied. Government doesn’t run the plan, an independent group does, and the government pays with your money. No middlemen, no 40+ million dollar exec. salaries and bonuses. With everybody in the system, it works. Every present First World country has a similar system, so what’s with us? We’ve bought into myths and lies, that’s what. Minnesota could be the leader in such a plan, a model for the nation. Can you imagine what it would be like not to have the fear of getting sick and losing everything hanging over your shoulders?
Minnesota was way ahead when they exercised control over the contents of policies and only invited those insurance companies that adhered to MN law to sell policies in our state. This dictum offered us great protection. I greatly feared Gov. Pawlenty would remove this safeguard. Now it seems the Federal bill will challenge our protection by allowing policies to be sold across state lines.
One need only look at the number and variety of Medigap policies offered to consumers in other states to see what we are up against. I am concerned about this, and I hope and pray MN continues to protect her citizens from the rampant fraud perpetrated by so many insurance companies.
I feel strongly that working people, too young for Medicare, and unable to afford insurance, must be given access to better healthcare. I am counting on MN to elect a populist Governor who will concern him/her self with the neediest of us all.