Friday, June 6, 2008

Minnesota Tones Down Expansion Plans

400% FPL plan shelved

By Merrill Matthews, Jr.

Categories: Insurance Regulation, Medicaid, Minnesota

No sooner had Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) vetoed HF 3391 -- a health reform bill pushed by the Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL) -- then the legislature passed a more moderate proposal expected to gain the governor's signature. SF 3780 included many similar provisions to the vetoed HF 3391, but did not expand government health insurance to 400 percent of federal poverty. The bill does include:

A study on the shortage of health care workers;
Creation of "health care homes" to provide primary care;
Required Section 125 plans for employers of 11 or more;
Expansion of coverage for childless adults to 250 percent of poverty; and,
Use of school lunch programs to match health insurance eligibility for children.