A “rogue ruling” and “incredible threat” to Minnesotans’ continuity of health care, says Governor-elect Tim Walz about a Texas federal judge’s decision that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. But Walz says the A-C-A is still in place and MNsure open enrollment is ongoing. “I think it brings into sharper focus the need of why Minnesota needs to address the issue of everything from the provider tax to the MinnesotaCare buy-in that we have suggested, to coming back together to figure out what we’re going to do,” he says. Walz says the ruling won’t stand the test of time, but “I’m also one that doesn’t believe you take chances on this. This is why Minnesota needs to guide Minnesota’s future,… to make sure that if something like this happens, that our citizens are protected to their access to high-quality, affordable health care.”
Republicans strongly oppose what they term an expansion of government-run health care, and argue competition in the private market is the only way to bring down health care costs.
More here from Walz’s news conference: