1.1    .................... moves to amend H. F. No. 464 as follows:
1.2Page 1, before line 7, insert:

1.5Page 6, after line 26, insert:


1.8    Section 1. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS.
1.9    (a) All people deserve quality health care, yet an increasing number of Minnesota
1.10families are unable to pay for coverage.
1.11    (b) Many seniors find that Medicare, which promised health care in their retirement,
1.12does not provide needed coverage without costly Medicare supplemental policies and,
1.13even then, many cannot receive care.
1.14    (c) Many workers do not earn enough to pay for health care; as a result, they do not
1.15receive preventive care and put off necessary treatment for themselves and their families
1.16until the medical condition becomes acute, requiring more costly treatment.
1.17    (d) Many people are forced, against their wishes, to switch from their personal
1.18doctors, clinics, and hospitals, not based on medical need, but because they switched jobs
1.19or their employer switched health plans. This replaces doctors who have their trust with
1.20new providers who do not know their medical history. Loss of continuity of care can put
1.21health at risk and wastes the time and resources of both doctors and patients.
1.22    (e) The lack of universal care has particularly serious consequences for the
1.23uninsured, but it also creates extra hardship and risks for many people with health care
1.24coverage and more expenses for the public.
1.25    (f) The lack of affordable care creates a huge burden on the Minnesota economy
1.26through lost worker productivity, higher special education costs, the spread of preventable
1.27infectious diseases, and skyrocketing long-term care expenses that could have been
2.1prevented with affordable in-home care alternatives. Furthermore, taxpayer-funded
2.2expenses for education, housing, health care, and crime prevention, including law
2.3enforcement, prosecution, and corrections, are higher due to untreated chemical
2.4dependency and mental illness.
2.5    (g) Insured patients and taxpayers end up paying costs to cover the underinsured
2.6through cost-shifting when hospitals provide expensive emergency care for illnesses and
2.7diseases that could have been prevented with routine preventive care.
2.8    (h) Bureaucratic paperwork for medical providers, insurers, patients, and government
2.9agencies, which is used to determine eligibility and financial responsibility, currently
2.10consumes more than one-fourth of all health care dollars in Minnesota. Additionally,
2.11cost-shifting between third-party payers results in expensive gatekeepers aimed at
2.12reducing financial responsibility and results in higher billing costs. A universal health care
2.13system would reduce these expenses that do nothing to promote health.
2.14    (i) Providing a universal health care system would improve the quality of life for
2.15all Minnesotans and would reduce overall costs to the public through prevention and
2.16efficiency.
2.17    (j) A well-designed universal health care system would continue to promote
2.18Minnesota's leadership in medical education, training, research, and technology and would
2.19free medical providers to focus on providing quality care without needing to worry
2.20whether the treatment or referrals they provide will be approved by the insurer and without
2.21wasting unnecessary resources on billing.
2.22    (k) A well-designed universal health care system would free small employers from
2.23wasting resources shopping for an affordable plan for their workers and would free
2.24employees to seek employment that best uses their talents instead of seeking jobs based
2.25on the employer's health benefits.
2.26    (l) A well-designed universal health care system would mean that patients would
2.27be able to get needed treatment promptly, instead of going through numerous additional
2.28doctor visits that are designed to deny care instead of provide it.
2.29    (m) It is in the public interest to establish a universal health care system for medical
2.30and economic reasons. Because the federal government has not provided universal health
2.31care, Minnesotans will not obtain such coverage unless the state develops a system on its
2.32own.
2.33    (n) In order to develop a system that serves Minnesotans best, the system must:
2.34    (1) ensure that all Minnesotans receive high quality health care, regardless of
2.35their income;
2.36    (2) allow patients the ability to choose their own providers;
3.1    (3) hold down costs, not by restricting or denying coverage or reducing the quality
3.2of care, but through prevention, efficiency, and elimination of bureaucracy;
3.3    (4) provide comprehensive benefits, including complete mental health services,
3.4chemical dependency treatment, prescription drugs, medical equipment and supplies,
3.5dental care, long-term care, and home care services;
3.6    (5) be funded through premiums and other payments based on the person's ability
3.7to pay, so as not to deny full access to all Minnesotans;
3.8    (6) focus on preventive care and early intervention;
3.9    (7) provide an adequate number of qualified health care professionals and facilities
3.10to guarantee timely access to quality care throughout the state; and
3.11    (8) continue promoting Minnesota's leadership in medical education, training,
3.12research, and technology.

3.13    Sec. 2. [144.7055] UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
3.14    Subdivision 1. Commissioner's working group. (a) The commissioner of health
3.15shall establish a working group to design a universal health care system for Minnesota.
3.16The commissioner shall prepare proposed legislation for submission to the legislature by
3.17January 31, 2008, to establish a universal health care system for Minnesota to take effect
3.18in January 2010. The proposed legislation must meet all of the requirements specified in
3.19subdivision 2.
3.20    (b) The working group shall include medical providers, patients, and representatives
3.21of employers and employees in preparing the proposed universal health care system.
3.22    (c) The working group is governed by section 15.059, subdivision 6, and expires
3.23January 31, 2008.
3.24    Subd. 2. Requirements for universal health care system. The commissioner's
3.25proposal to the legislature under subdivision 1 shall be designed in a manner that:
3.26    (1) ensures all Minnesotans receive high quality health care, regardless of their
3.27income;
3.28    (2) allows patients the ability to choose their own providers;
3.29    (3) does not restrict or deny care or reduce the quality of care to hold down costs, but
3.30instead reduces costs through prevention, efficiency, and elimination of bureaucracy;
3.31    (4) provides comprehensive benefits, including all coverage currently required by
3.32law, complete mental health services, chemical dependency treatment, prescription drugs,
3.33medical equipment and supplies, dental care, long-term care, and home care services;
3.34    (5) is funded through premiums and other payments based on the person's ability
3.35to pay, so as not to deny full access to all Minnesotans;
4.1    (6) focuses on preventive care and early intervention to improve the health of all
4.2Minnesotans and reduce later costs from untreated illnesses and diseases;
4.3    (7) ensures an adequate number of qualified health care professionals and facilities
4.4to guarantee timely access to quality care throughout the state;
4.5    (8) continues promoting Minnesota's leadership in medical education, training,
4.6research, and technology; and
4.7    (9) provides adequate and timely payments to providers.

4.8    Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
4.9    Section 2 is effective the day following final enactment."
4.10Renumber the sections in sequence and correct the internal references
4.11Amend the title accordingly