Minnesota House Democrats have elected their leaders for the 2019 legislative session and incoming Speaker Melissa Hortman says, “Health care was definitely the priority of Minnesotans that they brought to us on the campaign trail all across the state of Minnesota, and so we will be addressing health care very aggressively.”
That could end up being a battle at the legislature, because on Governor-elect Tim Walz’s agenda is to allow more people, regardless of income, to purchase health coverage through state-run MinnesotaCare — something Republicans, who favor a free-market system, strongly oppose. The provider tax, which helps pay for MinnesotaCare, sunsets next year — and the question before state lawmakers in 2019 is whether to extend it. “That is gonna be a big debate,” says Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka.