Friends,
Thank you for signing up to receive my updates and stay informed on what goes on in Saint Paul and in our district!
In Our Community
Majority Leader Joyce Peppin (R-Maple Grove) joined me for a tour of my district last Friday. We enjoyed visiting with local leaders at the Ridgeview Medical Center, as well as visiting two great Waconia small businesses, the J. Carver Distillery and Mocha Monkey. Todd Moen of the Waconia Sun Patriot met with Majority Leader Peppin and me as we took our tour. You can read about it in the Sun Patriot by clicking here.
On Tuesday, Congressman Tom Emmer, Waconia Mayor Jim Sanborn and I spent the day in our district, beginning with a tour of Ridgeview Medical Center, and ending our day by speaking with many of you about the agriculture and transportation issues that affect you and your family. It was a pleasure to speak to the City Council meeting at the Waconia City Hall, where I received their 2015 Legislative Priorities. I enjoyed spending the day with Congressman Emmer and Mayor Sanborn, and I look forward to having many more opportunities to tour the district with them in the future.
MNsure Audit
On Tuesday, the Office of the Legislative Auditor released their report on MNsure, which confirmed many of the systemic failures that you all have communicated to me. While Minnesotans were promised the “Travelocity for health insurance” that would bring an easy enrollment process and lower costs to every Minnesota family, they were hit with higher premiums and outrageous wait times when they called for enrollment help. Overall, the Auditor concluded that “MNsure’s failures outweighed its achievements.”
My colleagues and I have put forth several proposals to fix these glaring problems that are affecting every Minnesotan. I have co-authored HF5, authored by Rep. Tara Mack, which will bring accountability to a broken system and allow consumers to choose the health care coverage that best fits their needs.
It’s also important that we look into healthcare solutions not administrated by the government. While at Ridgeview Medical Center with Congressman Emmer, we met with Marek Ciolko and Abir Sen, co-founders of Gravie, an independent insurance marketplace that helps individuals navigate the healthcare insurance process, from the point-of-purchase to provider choices or coverage questions. Learning about their company’s successes and the ways in which they help everyday Minnesotans choose great insurance coverage demonstrates the need for more marketplaces like Gravie, instead of relying on state-run exchanges such as MNsure. I’m proud to serve a district with so many innovative thinkers who are looking for solutions to the problems facing our state!
Please contact me to share your thoughts on this or any other issues that affect you and your family or your business. You can schedule an appointment to visit me in my office by calling (651) 296-5999 or email me directly at rep.jim.nash@house.mn.
It is a pleasure to work for you.
Rep. Jim Nash