June 22, 2009. On June 18th, SHARE Director Lynn Blewett presented an overview of national health reform to Minnesota’s Health Care Reform Review Council in Saint Paul, MN. “We were well-received by the Council, and I think we contributed to their work,” Lynn observed.
Lynn presented information to the Council about the current status of federal reform efforts in Congress, emphasizing that the various proposals under consideration are moving targets, with the specifics of the proposals continuously changing. She addressed the potential impacts of federal reform on the states, noting her concerns about the stress that the implementation of federal reform will place on struggling state infrastructures in the absence of appropriate funding from the federal government:
“States are facing $183.3 billion in budget shortfalls between FY 2009 and FY 2011. The implementation of health reform will demand resources that states cannot afford under these dire fiscal conditions. The stakeholders on the Council should take advantage of their membership in various national associations to make sure that state concerns are heard as federal reform efforts move forward.”
Click here to view the slides from Lynn’s presentation.
Lynn’s colleague, Brian Dowd, presented at the meeting as well. He spoke about taxing employer-sponsored health benefits and pooling for a public plan option. To view the slides from Brian’s presentation, click here.
The Health Reform Review Council was created as part of Minnesota’s 2008 health care reform legislation and is charged with providing stakeholder input on implementation of the payment reform provisions in the legislation. The Council is co-chaired by Minnesota Commissioner of Health, Sanne Magnan, and Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Cal Ludeman. Click here to learn more about the Council, or click here to view a list of the Council’s member organizations.