Healthcare
All Minnesotans should have access to high-quality, affordable health care. Our goal should be to make Minnesota the nation's leader in health care management. Minnesota should begin to enact into law much of the Minnesota Medical Association's Physician's Plan for a Healthy Minnesota, and the proposals included in the Report of the Minnesota Citizens Forum on Health Care Costs, a forum chaired by former US Senator David Durenberger.
I will support legislative initiatives that:
- Establish a blue ribbon health care commission to carefully monitor and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of recently enacted Massachusetts, Illinois and other state health programs during the next biennium and report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the Minnesota Legislature. The Legislature should use the commission's report as a basis for the enactment of a universal coverage program of essential medical benefits for all Minnesotans.
- Return to the Minnesota Care program funds that were taken to cover general fund shortfalls. The medical providers who help pay for this program ought to resent these tax shifts and thousands of eligible working families have lost their health insurance.
- Increase support for Minnesota's renowned medical research and care institutions, especially in the areas of stem cell and other promising biotechnology research.
Healthcare costs for the state, for Minnesota businesses and individuals can be lowered by:
- Focusing medical care on disease prevention.
- Negotiating with prescription drug manufacturers for volume pricing.
- Pooling state resources to reduce health care costs.
- Expanding enrollment options in state health plans, such as Minnesota Care, for small businesses and family farms.
- Expanding nursing education to meet the critical care shortage in that area.