Battle lines over health care are drawn at the state legislature as House Democrats propose making health insurance through state-run MinnesotaCare available to everyone, regardless of income. Lake Crystal Republican Representative Jeremy Munson warns it will shutter hospitals in rural Minnesota. “These low, low reimbursement rates are not just gonna cause doctors to close their doors. They are already rationing care,” he says.
Rochester Democrat Tina Liebling responds that’s a red herring because H-M-O’s would be out of the loop. “This would be direct contracting, so the state would retain control over what we pay the providers,” she says.
Governor Tim Walz supports what’s called the “MinnesotaCare buy-in option.” Republicans, who control the Minnesota Senate, strongly oppose it.