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Health insurance a must in plan
By MARTIGA LOHN Associated Press Writer ST. PAUL - The quest for universal health coverage got a new twist on Thursday when a key House Democrat proposed making every Minnesotan get health insurance by 2011.
The plan would follow one being tried in Massachusetts, where every resident must have insurance starting July 1 or face tax penalties. Those who can't afford private policies can get subsidized coverage. California is also considering a health insurance mandate.
Minnesota has the nation's lowest rate of uninsured people, measured at 7.4 percent in 2004. State leaders have said universal health coverage is an attainable goal, but plans from Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Senate's lead Democrat on health care don't include an insurance mandate.
The mandate's chances this year are unclear. Rep. Tom Huntley, the lead House DFLer on health spending, said he supports it but didn't promise it would end up in a final health care spending bill.
The mandate would require everyone to have bare-bones health insurance, and prohibit health plans from turning anyone away. Penalties for lack of insurance are being considered, but weren't specified. Those who couldn't pay could get subsidies, tax credits or public health coverage.
The proposal came from Healthy Minnesota, a group of health plans, hospitals and interest groups. Hospitals have long complained about the cost of caring for the uninsured who can't pay.
The plan's cost is unknown, but an earlier estimate put the tab for universal coverage somewhere between $300 million and $900 million a year, Huntley said at a Capitol news conference.
"There might be upfront health care costs to any system of reform," said DFL Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon, the bill's Senate sponsor. "The fact is that we do need reform, and in the long run there are cost savings."
Opposition was swift and came from unions, the state's largest business groups, health insurer Medica and others. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's chairman said a mandate without cutting medical costs would be irresponsible and hurt consumers.
A coalition advocating government-run health care warned that the plan would penalize workers and maybe even lead to garnished wages.
The mandate is part of a larger package that includes coordinated medical care for patients, physical education requirements for high schoolers and a portal similar to Pawlenty's proposed health insurance exchange, where consumers could get tax-free policies.
Pawlenty has questioned the Massachusetts approach of mandating health insurance, noting that a Minnesota law requiring all vehicle owners to have car insurance still leaves many uninsured drivers on the road.
DFL Sen. Linda Berglin, the Senate's top health care policymaker, has said she would prefer to couple an individual health insurance mandate with a requirement that all employers cover their workers.
Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership, said he's open to a Massachusetts-style individual insurance mandate as long as employers weren't required to cover their workers. His group was among those who criticized the Healthy Minnesota plan for not cutting costs aggressively enough.
Healthy Minnesota includes the heads of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners, the Mayo Clinic, Allina Hospitals and Clinics, the Education Minnesota teachers union and the Minnesota Senior Federation-Metropolitan Region.
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