John Marty's Agenda for Minnesota's Future: Health Care

Vision

All Minnesotans must have access to comprehensive and high quality health care.

Under the current health care system nearly 400,000 Minnesotans are uninsured at some time during the year; many more Minnesotans are under-insured. No Minnesotan should have to choose between necessary medical care and buying food. Business owners in Minnesota struggle to provide health care to their employees but often must compromise on the quality and extent of their coverage. Thousands of farmers and other working people pay exorbitant premiums for policies with huge deductibles and poor coverage, and many of those most in need of health insurance are denied it because of their age or pre-existing health conditions. Minnesota can and must do better than this. As Governor, John will ensure any health care reform meets five goals:

1. It must provide universal coverage. Every Minnesotan has a right to health care. We must avoid excessive premiums, co-payments and deductibles that are barriers to the access and use of health insurance.
2. It must include comprehensive benefits. The health care system must include a set of benefits that includes all reasonable and necessary care=F3from mental health and chemical dependency treatment to prescription drugs and access to other non-physician providers such as dentists and chiropractors.
3. It must provide cost containment. Any reform should eliminate all forms of waste in the system. This includes insurance company overhead, the paperwork blizzard confronting health care providers, excess capacity of advanced technology and empty hospital beds, high specialist fees, inflated drug prices and unnecessary procedures.
4. It must be financed fairly. Financing the new system must be based on a person's ability to pay.
5. It must emphasize prevention. Investing in preventive health care is far cheaper than waiting until serious health problems develop.

Record

• Co-authored single-payer health care legislation for Minnesota.
• Consistently fought for full funding of childhood immunization programs, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition program and other early preventive health care services.

John Marty's Agenda for Minnesota's health care future

1. Adopt a single payer health care plan.

   Under President Clinton's health care reform proposal it appears states will have the authority to pursue their own plans. Only a single payer plan meets all five goals. John=EDs health care proposal will combine the best of the Canadian system -- its financing, coverage, accessibility and cost containment with the strong research and technological advances of the U.S. system. It will:

   • Be cost effective and fairly financed, based on a person's ability to pay rather than on the current system of regressive premiums, co-payments and deductibles. It will save the money currently wasted on unnecessary paperwork and redundant delivery systems.
   • Preserve choice. Consumers and providers rather than health insurance companies will make decisions based on the medical care needs of their communities.
   • Emphasize preventative care and healthy lifestyles. Healthy lifestyles and preventative health care, such as early childhood nutrition, immunization efforts and parenting education, prevent many serious health problems, make for healthier lives and save health care dollars.
2. Ensure health care access, affordability and choice now.

   While we may not pass a single payer system in this year or next due to the powerful and monied interests working against substantive reform, there are a number of steps we can take to move in that direction. As Governor, John will:

   • Toughen anti-trust provisions and enforcement in Minnesota to make sure that HMOs, insurance companies and other health care corporations do not merge without close scrutiny from the state Attorney General's office.
   • Make insurance available through guaranteed issue and the elimination of discriminatory underwriting practicing based on age and pre-existing conditions.
   • Extend MinnesotaCare benefits to all pregnant women and children in Minnesota who are not currently covered.
3. Prevent health care problems before they occur.

   The best health care policy is one of prevention. As Governor, John will:

   • Fully fund the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. Good nutrition is essential for healthy children. WIC saves three dollars in health care costs for each dollar invested, by providing nutritional assessments and nutritious food for low-income children, pregnant and nursing women.
   • Ensure all children are immunized. Many children are not currently immunized because of lack of resources. These children risk serious health problems later and pose a risk to other children.
   • Provide education on nutrition and healthy lifestyles education in the public schools and for students and young parents. The best preventive health care is a healthy lifestyle.

Prepared by Minnesotans for Marty, 2161 University Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55114 Telephone/Fax: (612)644-5775/644-4131

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