April 8, 2010: SHADAC's new Deputy Director, Julie Sonier, testified on April 6th at an informational hearing before three committees of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The purpose of the hearing was to discuss state conformity in 2010 and 2011 with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Ms. Sonier noted immediate and short-term impacts of federal reform on several major components of Minnesota's current health care system, observing that the state will soon have to address several significant tasks. Among other things, the state will have to:
- Determine how to address public programs provisions, such as expanded Medicaid eligibility for adults and maintenance-of-effort requirements.
- Operationalize new private insurance market regulations, including young adult dependent coverage expansions and pre-existing condition exclusions.
- Decide whether to continue operating its high-risk pool and, if the state pool continues, how to operate it alongside the new national pool.
Ms. Sonier also pointed out that start-up grants for state and regional exchanges will be available as soon as one year from now, and Minnesota will have a significant amount of work to do to establish of infrastructure and processes for the exchanges.
View Ms. Sonier's presentation, "Federal Reform: Short-Term Impacts."
Link to Star Tribune coverage of the event.
Link to SHADAC's list of resources regarding health reform in Minnesota.