Legislation for health care payment reform
HCAMN Legislative Priorities 2022
In addition to the single-payer Minnesota Health Plan (MHP), there are two “stepping stone” bills:
Primary Care Case Management & Direct Contracting and
Cost Study
Because both bills are based on single-payer, they are steps for initiating and developing support for the MHP from a broader range of legislators and the general public.
Minnesota Health Plan (MHP)
SF 1643 Senator John Marty + 22 Co-Authors on clone bills 1644, 1645, 1646, 1647.
Introduced 3-1-21, referred to Health & Human Services Finance & Policy.
HF 1774 Rep. Cedric Frazier + 34 Co-Authors.
Introduced 3-1-21, referred to Health Finance & Policy.
- Administrative efficiency by elimination of the costly insurance bureaucracy with its underwriting, marketing, and CEO salaries and stock options.
- Annual budgets for hospitals and nursing homes to replace the costly task of assigning every service to specific patients and billing for each patient, and to ensure equitable distribution of resources.
- Bulk purchasing of drugs and medical supplies.
- Fairly negotiated provider fees.
Will require the ACA’s Section 1332 waiver to be implemented.
Primary Care Case Management and Direct Contracting (PCCM)
SF 2014 Senator John Marty + Co-Authors Murphy, Klein, Eaton, Wicklund
Introduced 3-11-21, referred to Health & Human Services Finance & Policy.
HF 2394 Rep. Liz Boldon. No Co-Authors yet.
Introduced 3-25-21, referred to Health Finance & Policy.
- Directly pays health care providers (nurses, social workers, counselors), not insurance companies, for coordinating care to Medical Assistance and MNCare enrollees.
- Contracts with HMO plans for administering these programs will not be renewed. (Connecticut terminated the HMOs from its public health programs.)
- Along with saving taxpayer dollars, it will improve coordination and quality of care for enrollees and allow them choice of providers instead of being confined in HMO networks.
Cost Study
Benefit and cost analysis to show savings of single-payer
SF 2010 Senator John Marty. Co-Authors Jennifer McEwen, Omar Fateh
Introduced 3-11-21, referred to Health & Human Services Finance & Policy.
HF 2499 Rep. Liz Boldon. Co-Author Cedrick Frazier
Introduced 4-9-21, referred to Health Finance & Policy.
Amendment was offered by Senator Marty to the Omnibus Health & Human Services bill on 4-29-21, which failed on the Senate floor by a mostly party-line vote of 32 to 35.
Hearing 2-10-22 in Health Finance & Policy and laid over for inclusion in the Omnibus Health & Human Services bill.
An analysis of the costs of the MN Health Plan compared to the current for-profit health insurance market to show savings from the following:
- reduced insurance, billing, marketing, and underwriting costs;
- reduced prices on drugs and medical services;
- reduced administrative costs to businesses and government.
Medicare for All Act
(Note: Most elements are similar to the Minnesota Health Plan.)
HR 1976 U.S. Rep. Pramilla Jayapal, Sponsor. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, Co-Sponsor, + 120 other Co-Sponsors, which include 14 Committee chairs and several key leadership Members.
Introduced 3-17-21
Provides all medically necessary care, including:
- hospitalization and doctor visits;
- prescription drugs, dental, vision, and hearing care;
- mental health services;
- reproductive care, including abortion;
- protecting reproductive health by overriding Hyde Amend. banning fed. funding of abortion;
- long-term care services and supports; ambulatory services.
Free choice of any doctor or hospital.
Free medical care at the point of service, without premiums, copays, or deductibles.
Reduces national health spending by:
- eliminating the waste and profits of commercial insurance;
- streamlining the administrative and billing burden on doctors and hospitals; and
- slashing drug costs by negotiating prices for medications and equipment (overriding drug patents when necessary), establishing a national drug formulary promoting use of generics.
Cost efficient provider payments by:
- reimbursing physicians and other providers directly;
- annual global budgets for hospitals and nursing homes similar to fire departments, schools, and other public services, with a separate fund for capital expenditures; and
- not allowing providers to use public funds for profits, marketing, or bonuses.
Promotes health care equity for everyone by:
- establishing an Office of Health Equity to track health outcomes, address disparities, and promote primary care for underserved populations;
- provides regional need-based funding to finally invest significant resources in underserved rural and urban communities;
- preserving the facilities and services provided by the Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Indian Health Service, and military Tricare program.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has agreed to committee hearings, including Small Business and Health.