Greetings from the Capitol,
One of the bills I chief authored that would reform the county program aid formula, House File 609, is making its way through the legislative process. The bill increases the appropriations for both county need aid and county equalization aid. HF 609 would also lower the property tax burden for the residents of District 12A. This bill is supported by all 87 counties and has broad bi-partisan support in the House and Senate.
On Thursday, members of the MN Wheat Growers and MN Farm Bureau met with me at the Capitol. Pictured: back row: Jay Nord, Wolverton; Jerry Nordick, Breckenridge; me; Craig Lichtsinn, Wheaton. Front Row: Darlene Beyer, Tintah; Jamie Beyer, Wheaton.
Last week, I met with Chris Knoll from Minnewaska Lutheran Home. Knoll was at the Capitol advocating on issues dealing with senior care.
I also met with Beau Peterson of Ortonville. We discussed topics pertaining to soil and water conservation districts, and leadership.
Health Insurance Reform:
This week, the House passed House File 5: The Minnesota Premium Security Plan on a bipartisan vote of 78-53. The goal of working to implement this bill is to stabilize premiums by trying to minimize the impact of high-risk individuals on the individual health insurance market. The program will be administered by the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association, which ran a high risk pool that brought stability to the individual market and ensured the sickest Minnesotans had access to needed coverage for over 40 years.
Since the implementation of Obamacare, Minnesota’s individual insurance market has become a third as large and twice as sick. If this bill is signed into law, it could help in reducing health insurance premiums sold on the individual market 17-18%, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
This bill is not the finished product, there is more work left to be done in order to make health insurance affordable and workable for Minnesotans. Going forward, I am hopeful that the federal government gives us favorable parameters to work within, so we can do all that we can to make Minnesota a leader in health care again.
Staying in Touch:
Please be sure to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government. I can be reached by phone at either 651-296-4929, 701-361-1909, or via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
