This article was originally posted on 01-30-2017

January 30, 2017 - Legislative Update: Health Insurance Premiums Relief bill passes

Dear Neighbors,

As we wrap up the fourth week of the legislative session, here's an update on where things currently stand:

Premium Relief
I supported Gov. Dayton's plan for an immediate rebate for those affected by the drastic increases in the individual market since he released it three months ago. The original Republican bill would have delayed relief until 2018 due to red tape and would have allowed insurance companies to sell policies that don't cover things like cancer, emergency services and nearly 100 other health issues.

I'm pleased that the Republican majority chose to use Gov. Dayton's plan to ensure Minnesotans get the relief they need and that the other provisions detailed above were removed from the bill as well.

But Gov. Dayton's plan was on the table for months and Republicans withheld the relief until five days before the end of open enrollment; even then, they made sure the price of providing relief to our neighbors was accepting untested reforms to the market, including allowing for-profit insurers to operate in our state.

Potentially destabilizing the market with reforms that haven't been subjected to sufficient analysis is irresponsible and could threaten the quality of our care.

Gov. Dayton's budget
On Tuesday, Gov. Dayton released his budget proposal for 2018 and 2019. It is called the Opportunity Agenda for a Better Minnesota and focuses on strategies to create opportunity and build an economy that works for everyone around the state.

Parts of his budget include sustainable increases in education funding and tax cuts for Minnesota families, while he's also stated his commitment to making the state government as efficient, lean and responsive as possible.
These are healthy, responsible goals for us to work toward and I'm looking forward to contributing to this progress.

If you have any questions or concerns relating to the topics above or anything else, please feel free to contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Sandra Masin
State Representative

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