Health Care

COACT’S HEALTH CAMPAIGN AND VICTORIES

COACT serves as headquarters for the

Minnesota Universal Health Care *Coalition,

which is unions, community organizations, practitioner groups, business owners,
and retirees working for single-payer health care legislation for Minnesotans:

UNIVERSAL
√ comprehensive
√ good quality
√ affordable
√ allows choice of providers;
 

COMPREHENSIVE
√ all medically necessary services
√ primary and preventive
√ prescription drugs
√ mental health services
√ chemical dependency treatment
√ medical equipment
√ dental
√ long-term care
√ home care services.

 

 *COALITION MEMBERS:
*MN Assoc. of Professional Employees
*Minnesota Nurses Association
*Nat’l Assoc. of Social Workers- MN
*Gray Panthers
*Physicians for Nat’l Health Program
*Service Employees Int’l Union #113
*Minnesota Farmers Union
*League of Women Voters
*Independent Business Owners
*Int’l Brotherh’d Electrical Workers #110
*Green Party
*Minnesota Senior Federation
*United Food & Commercial Workers #789
*Minnesota COACT

The Single-Payer Universal Health Care Bill passed the Senate Health & Family Security Committee in the 2004 session, and was re-introduced last session by Senator Leo Foley in SF 414 and Rep. Carlos Mariani in HF 481.

SF 414, HF 481 establish (1) six regional boards to develop budgets to meet the needs of the region’s residents; (2) a state board which will use the regional budgets to develop a state budget and which will pay the providers; and (3) a Minnesota Health Care Trust Fund to fund the program.

  • Excess capacity is cut by budgeting expensive equipment to prevent costly duplication and overlap among hospitals in the region.
  • Administrative waste is cut by the state board paying the hospital and doctor bills.
  • The 20 percent administrative waste of HMOs and insurance companies is eliminated.

SF 414 is authored by Senators Foley, Lourey, and Marty; and HF 481 is authored by Representatives Mariani, Walker, Otremba, Paymar, Goodwin, Huntley, Thao, Greiling, Hausman, Hilty, and Sheldon Johnson.

Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition, 2469 University Avenue, W150, St. Paul
At University & Franklin and near University & Hwy 280. Call 651-646-0900

To:

Governor Pawlenty’s HEALTH CABINET on R- I- S- I- N- G Health Care Costs

We Minnesota consumers, patients, practitioners, and businesses submit the following recommendations on the state’s health care spending crisis:

#1. Don’t blame increased spending on patient overuse. Health care is under-used as much as it is over-used.

#2. Don’t shift rising health costs to higher deductibles and co-pays for workers and families. Cost shifting

(1) continues employee-employer tension and

(2) increases under-use by consumers.

#3. End rationing, limited provider choice, unaffordable premiums, high fees, and declining quality of care by replacing the state’s managed care/HMO system.

#4. Enact a single-payer MEDICARE-style system for

Minnesota, which will . . .

(1) cut administrative waste by using one payer to pay

hospital and doctor bills instead of many payers;

(2) cut excess capacity by budgeting expensive equipment and services among hospitals in a region;

(3) cut high drug prices by volume purchasing and negotiating prices with the drug companies;

(4) cut fraud by making it easier to monitor and audit medically unnecessary services.

Sincerely, the People of Minnesota