This may be the boldest stroke of political brilliance from Representative Matt Dean since that time the Dellwood Republican called sci-fi novelist Neil Gaiman "a pencil-necked little weasel."
Minnesota Public Radio's Catherine Richert reports in GOP leader wants to end MinnesotaCare:
Days after saying they want to cut taxes and still spend money on key priorities, a key Republican in the Minnesota House is floating a proposal to end a popular health care program for Minnesota's working poor.
Pressured by their own party to return a $1.9 billion budget surplus to taxpayers, GOP leaders are looking for ways to do that while pursuing their agenda.
State Rep. Matt Dean, who chairs the House Health Care Finance Committee, would move the 95,000 people currently participating in MinnesotaCare coverage to MNsure, where they would buy a private plan. Dean estimates the shift would save about $900 million over two years, cash that could be used for Republican priorities that include nursing home funding, and mental and dental health programs. . . .
Ghita Worcester, senior vice president of public affairs and marketing for Ucare, which covers about 30 percent of MinnesotaCare's participants, said the company's analysis of Dean's idea points to higher costs for Minnesotacare participants.
"We're talking about a couple of hundred dollars at least in differences in premium through the year, and deductible differences," Worcester said.
Dean's bill is scheduled to receive its first hearing this week.
While his approach to MinnesotaCare might suggest Dean wants to bolster MNsure, which has been the subject of criticism from Dean and other Republicans since it launched in 2013, Dean said that's not the case. He has another bill that would abolish MNsure and move Minnesota to the federal exchange in 2017.
Both of Dean's bills were on Monday's agenda for the Health and Human Services Reform Committee, although audio has yet to be posted for the meeting. Session Daily staff writer Susan Hegarty reports about the hearing in House health committee throws in towel on MNsure.
In a media release, Minority Leader Thissen deplored Dean's plan to dismantle MinnesotaCare:
House DFL Leader Paul Thissen released the following statement on Rep. Matt Dean’s proposal to dismantle MinnesotaCare, cutting health care for 95,000 Minnesotans.
“With a $2 billion surplus, it is outrageous that Republicans would consider jeopardizing the health care of tens of thousands of Minnesotans. Not only do Republicans want to cut taxes for corporate special interests, they apparently want to pay for it by cutting health care for hardworking Minnesotans and working parents.
In 2011 Republicans took us down the path of taking money from doctors and hospitals and conjuring made-up savings through Medicaid waivers to create the pretense of a responsibly-balanced budget. That path led to a state government shutdown. It's not a path we should follow again.”
There's that.
Meanwhile, progressive political operatives at TakeAction Minnesota were tweeting about how Greater Minnesota's working poor would disproportionately pay the price of the Dean scheme. After we retweeted one of those posts, communications director Greta Bergstrom sent us this documentation sheet, which we've posted to Scribd:
Minnesota Care Enrollment by County
Sunny Chippewa County, our beloved prairie home, is right up there in terms of percentage of population enrolled in MinnesotaCare.
Photo: Representative Matt Dean, real man of Republican genius. Photo by James Nord.
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