Dear Neighbors,
Yesterday I got to visit with students from Anoka-Hennepin Regional High School. They were extremely engaging, and I enjoyed hearing their priorities, while getting to share some of my experiences so far at the Legislature. I’m proud to be the chief author of HF 550 which would finance equipment and software for a fabrication lab as part of the school’s technical education program. School districts across the state should look to this program as an example of innovative ways to provide students potential career paths.
MinnesotaCare Buy-In
Increasing options for Minnesotans to obtain health insurance is a priority for many of us this session. With private health insurance premiums rising rapidly, it’s overdue for us to explore the possibility of a “public option.” One such proposal is to allow Minnesotans to buy-into MinnesotaCare, a successful insurance option for low and middle income Minnesotans.
Twenty-five years ago, MinnesotaCare was created by a bipartisan coalition of legislators and signed into law by a Republican governor. The program has allowed 100,000 Minnesotans to purchase high-quality, lower cost health care coverage. Governor Dayton is proposing to expand the program by giving those who purchase their insurance on the individual insurance market the opportunity to ‘buy-into’ MinnesotaCare. Participants in the program would pay their own way, but premiums could be substantially lower than through private insurers.
MinnesotaCare includes a broad network of care providers and physicians all across the state which would enable families the option of choosing and keeping their own doctors. This has been key to the program’s popularity and success over the last 25 years.
As we look to enact policies giving Minnesotans affordable health care, giving them an option such as MinnesotaCare is a path I hope we can go down. For more information on the governor’s proposal, click here.
Please continue to reach out with your viewpoints on this issue, as well as others that may be important to you. Feel free to call or email me any time.
Sincerely,
Erin Koegel
State Representative