ST. PAUL – Minnesotans who have struggled to either find or afford health insurance coverage will soon see some temporary relief and permanent changes to the system thanks to legislation that’s been signed into law.
State Representative Greg Davids (R-Preston), who was appointed as a member of a joint House/Senate conference committee that crafted the final version of the bill, said the changes are long overdue.
“We’re getting premium relief out to Minnesotans that have been hit so hard by the failure of Obamacare,” Davids said. “But we also have strong reforms in that bill that will benefit many in our area.”
The legislation would allocate roughly $325 million to provide premium relief and ensure continuity of care for people who were receiving treatment from a physician but lost that ability when they were forced to switch insurance plans.
Other reforms included will allow for-profit HMO’s to operate in Minnesota, provide stop-loss measures to help small businesses, and institute agricultural cooperative health plans, allowing organizations with member owners – such as farm cooperatives – to provide health insurance to their members.
“This plan is just the beginning,” Davids said. “Now that we’ve tackled the immediate health insurance premium problem, I look forward to creating more reforms that will help strengthen the individual market for 2018.”