In Legislature, health care fix offers early shot at bipartisan success
The DFL governor and
Dayton opened the legislative session last week by demanding immediate action.
"There's always tension at the beginning, and you break through it," said Sen.
Both plans are aimed first at the approximately 123,000 people in
Dayton's plan, which he first proposed in October, would provide a 25 percent rebate to everyone in that group, for all of 2017. The approximately
Dayton and DFL legislators championed the plan as a streamlined way to help people struggling to cover premium spikes. The goal, Dayton said, was to pass "a simple bill, straightforward premium relief because that's what we need to do now, especially before
The
That category would include individuals who make less than
Instead of going through insurance companies,
DFLers question if that office is best-situated for the new responsibility. Sorting out eligibility, and then getting checks out would require MMB to gather information it doesn't currently maintain, and set up new systems -- meaning more money and manpower.
Among them:
Benson and Rep.
"We're trying to send a signal to the larger market that
Daudt and Senate Majority Leader
If it pans out, both sides could claim a bipartisan victory that would start this year's legislative session on a note of cooperation. It would be in sharp contrast to the final weeks of 2016, when Dayton and Daudt publicly sparred in letters and news conferences, pointing to each other as the reason there would be no special session on health care.
Staff writer
___
(c)2017 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Session starts Wednesday: Here’s a rundown, Hampton Roads
EDITORIAL: There can be no repeal without replacement
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News