January 7, 2011
MAFP Legislative Updates for 2011
Welcome to the MAFP Legislative Update. I will be emailing
links to these updates to members every two weeks during the 2011
Legislative Session. This is our attempt to keep you informed on
the key health care actions taken by the Legislature. I will make
them brief for a quick read, but provide enough information so you
can get a sense of what is being contemplated.
Feel free to provide me with feedback on what
is important to you. I can be contacted at
drenner@mnmed.org. The positions taken by the MAFP are
developed by the MAFP Board of Directors, with assistance from the
MAFP Legislative Committee chaired by Philip Stoyke, MD.
And they’re off…
On Monday January 3, former US Senator Mark Dayton was sworn in
as Minnesota’s 40th governor. Governor Dayton is the
first DFLer to hold the office since Rudy Perpich’s term ended in
1991. Gov. Dayton was sworn in along with the state’s other
Constitutional officers, Attorney General Lori Swanson, Secretary of
State Mark Ritchie, and State Auditor Rebecca Otto. The day was
mostly ceremonial before the Legislature began.
The 2011 Minnesota Legislative Session kicked
off on Tuesday, January 4, 2011, ushering in historic changes. For
the first time since Senate candidates began running under partisan
labels, the Minnesota Senate will now be controlled by the
Republicans. The Minnesota House of Representatives also returned
to GOP control for the first time since 2006. The incoming Senate
Majority Leader is Senator Amy Koch (R; Buffalo) and the new Speaker
of the House is Representative Kurt Zellers (R; Maple Grove). For
the first time in Minnesota’s history, we have a new Speaker of the
House, a new Majority Leader of the Senate, and a new Governor, all
on the same year.
Of the 201 legislators, 60 are newly elected.
This is a remarkably high percentage resulting in a lot of members
trying to find out how to be legislators.
With the change in partisan control of both the
House and Senate, much has changed with both the structure and
composition of House and Senate committees. Both bodies saw the
number of committees shrink dramatically, most notably in the
Senate. The Senate Health and Human Services Committee is to be
chaired by Senator David Hann (R; Eden Prairie), while health care
jurisdiction in the House will be shared by Rep. Jim Abeler (R;
Anoka) who will handle HHS Finance, and Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R; St.
Cloud), the new chairman of the HHS Reform Committee. Here is a
link to the memberships of the three committees:
House Health & Human Services Reform Committee
House Health & Human Services Finance Committee
Senate Health & Human Services Committee
Early Medicaid Enrollment
The
biggest health care news of the week was Governor Dayton’s signature
on an executive order that will usher in significant changes in the
number of low income Minnesotans eligible for the state’s Medicaid
program, known as Medical Assistance (MA). With the Governor’s
authorization, up to 95,000 individuals will be eligible for the
joint state-federal program, replacing the state’s General
Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program and expanding care for others
presently covered under MinnesotaCare.
The
changes were made possible by the federal health care reforms passed
in 2010, and were the subject of much debate during both last year’s
legislative session and gubernatorial campaign. Former Governor
Pawlenty opposed the expansion, arguing that it was too expensive to
the state and the future of the program is in doubt due to growing
federal debt. Governor Dayton was committed to the expansion,
noting that it would add significant federal investment into health
care presently being paid for with state dollars only, while also
expanding health care coverage. It is unclear when the new program
will be operational, and some officials at the Department of Human
Services have suggested it could take up to nine months to begin
enrollment. Governor Dayton and some legislative leaders have
responded that such a lengthy delay is unacceptable.
The Governor’s announcement of the expansion
made for fascinating political theater at the Capitol, as the
Governor’s office was packed with both supporters and opponents of
the move. Saying that the Governor’s reception room was “the
people’s room,” Governor Dayton invited both proponents and
opponents to speak to the assembled crowd and media before signing
the order to both cheers and jeers.
New Physician Commissioner at MN Department
of Health
Ed Ehlinger, M.D., M.S.P.H., has been appointed commissioner of
the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) by Gov. Mark Dayton.
Ehlinger has been the director and chief medical officer of the
University of Minnesota’s Boyton Health Service since 1995, and he
spent 15 years working for MDH prior to his time at the University
of Minnesota. Additionally, he is the immediate past president of
the Twin Cities Medical Society and has served as Chair of the MMA’s
Public Health Committee. With the Commissioner of Health serving as
the state’s chief public health officer, it is good to see another
physician in that role. Ehlinger replaces Sanne Magnan, MD.
Joint HHS Finance and HHS Reform Meeting
The committees got to work quickly with a joint meeting of the
two House health care committees holding a four-hour hearing on
January 5. This hearing was the first of many for the many new
members of the House. Representatives from the Department of Human
Services provided an overview of the DHS budget, highlighting where
most of the money is spent. The challenge before the legislature is
that nearly 30% of the state’s budget is spent in the HHS area and
most of that is spent on nursing homes and the disabled.
Upcoming weeks
Given the 60 new members of the Legislature, many predict a slow
start to the session as new committee chairs craft their agendas and
become acclimated to their new roles. Many committees will meet to
offer informational hearings to new members and staff prior to
beginning hearings on bills. That said, a number of significant
proposals are likely to come forward soon, including education
reform and new budgeting proposals.
Legislative Contacts
For those of you that want to more closely follow the actions of
the Minnesota Legislature, here are some links to the Legislature’s
website. There are committee schedules, weekly newsletters, contact
information for Legislators, and a “Legislative Finder” to help you
find out who your legislator is.
Minnesota Senate
Minnesota House
