Minnesota Legislature Approves Two-Year Budget That Includes $10B in Health Provisions
Minnesota state legislators in both chambers on Monday voted to approve a two-year $10 billion health and human services bill, but it could face a veto by Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (Draper, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/7). Health provisions, which would account for more than a quarter of the state budget, would:
- Expand insurance coverage to 72,000 uninsured state residents -- including 30,000 to 40,000 children -- by 2011 through a variety of state health program reforms, including higher income eligibility limits and a shorter application;
- Allow military families to enroll in MinnesotaCare without premiums for one year;
- Fund an outreach campaign to encourage qualified residents to enroll in public health programs and offer incentives to beneficiaries who follow medical advice for chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease;
- Create a health care access commission to develop a proposal for statewide universal health care; and
- Institute the health insurance exchange proposed by Pawlenty to allow state residents to purchase insurance tax free (AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press, 5/7).
Pawlenty is expected to veto the budget because of concerns that it would cause "a serious undoing of welfare reform" and because the bill is in "an entire different fiscal galaxy than the governor recommended," according to Pawlenty's spokesperson Brian McClung. According to Senate figures, the budget provides about $170 million more than Pawlenty's proposed budget. However, the governor's office said the legislation provides about $275 million more than Pawlenty recommended (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 5/7). This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
