Letters to the Editor - 11 2009 Take a good look at heath care - Take a good look at heath care

Our legislature recently held a leadership summit (the governor refused to attend) to study our budget problems and the past and future historical trends we need to consider.  We simply cannot continue the band-aid approach of our current governor. As we face a $5 billion deficit next biennium, our state general fund spending (when compared to personal income of Minnesotans) is as low as it's been in 40 years.

    The only major area where state spending is increasing rapidly is health and human services. Forty years ago it was 12 percent of the state general fund and now it's about 30 percent. Medical Assistance and General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) have gone from 3 percent to over 25 percent; fully two-thirds is used for home care, nursing homes, and health care for impoverished seniors and the disabled. Contrary to popular belief, what was commonly known as "AFDC" constitutes only about 1/4 of 1 percent of the state budget.

    Even though we aren't satisfied with it, Minnesota has some of the best health care systems in the country, both in quality and affordability. Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services, recently indicated they were looking at Minnesota's cooperative system as a model. The National Conference of State Legislatures held a health forum in July that extolled Minnesota and two other states for their systems. Our House DFL Caucus pushed through a pilot project last year that has been widely acclaimed as the wave of the future - paying hospitals and clinics a fixed amount for "high-repetition" patients (such as those needing kidney and cardiac care), since the best result for both the patient and the payor is making the patient do the routine things that make and keep them healthy.

    We can't just make drastic spending cuts or drastic increases in taxes to pay for necessary programs and services. That's why I'm continually pushing for pilot programs that address problems in new ways, not just in our successful medical pilot program, but in all areas of the budget. I've done a lot of work on job training and job creation, and the Speaker of the House appointed me to a special task force to look at new ways to increase livable wage jobs. I always welcome your ideas; "think outside the box."