Political Party

Nurses rally against health care cuts, endorse Thissen

The Minnesota Nurses Association is rallying at the state Capitol today to protest health care cuts made by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.A flier about the rally states in bold print at the top "Don't let him get by with it!"

To help balance the state budget, Pawlenty opted to use his uanallotment authority to cut the program beginning in March 2010. GAMC provides subsidized health care for 30,000 low-income Minnesotans.

The association says that many of the people on the plan are veterans, senior cities, people with mental illness and people who are homeless. They estimate that 70 percent of those served have mental health or chemical dependency problems. Members are being encouraged to wear red and make signs for the rally. Click here to Download Nurse rally flier .

The Minnesota Nurses Association also announced they are endorsing state DFL Rep. Paul Thissen of Minneapolis. Thissen is chair of the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee.

In a news release, MNA President-Elect Linda Hamilton is quoted as saying "“Paul Thissen is a champion for Registered Nurses. From his work to make sure all children have health insurance, to his advocacy of adequate RN staffing for patient safety, he exemplifies the characteristics we expect of a Governor."

The association represents more than 20,000 nurses.

Congressional delegation urges changes to Medicare system

The entire Minnesota Congressional delegation sent a letter to President Obama today urging him to address inequities in Medicare payments and reward states like Minnesota that provide quality care at a lower cost than other states.

According to a press release from DFL Congresswoman Betty McCollum, of St. Paul, she helped get all members of the delegation from both sides of the aisle to sign on to the letter. The letter also voices opposition to a public plan that would be based on the current Medicare reimbursement system. The letter states that "any public insurance option that is based on Medicare's current reimbursement formula would only further penalize Minnesota and undermine the very success our state has attained in delivering efficient, quality care."

Mayo Clinic has long voiced concern about the current Medicare system arguing it fails to take quality into account. Here is a link to the letter.

Mayo Clinic in spotlight after health reform criticism

Mayo Clinic is getting plenty of ink after criticizing the U.S. House's health care reform bill. A post on the clinic's health policy blog takes aim at the bill saying it "misses the opportunity to help create higher-quality, more affordable health care for patients. In fact, it will do the opposite."

Here is a recent New York Times article noting the clinic's criticism of the plan that is being held up as a model of reform by President Obama and legislative leaders. The Washington Times has an article with the headline "Mayo Clinic calls House plan bad medicine."

So just what are Mayo Clinic's concerns?

"In general, the proposals under discussion are not patient focused or results oriented. Lawmakers have failed to use a fundamental lever – a change in Medicare payment policy – to help drive necessary improvements in American health care. Unless legislators create payment systems that pay for good patient results at reasonable costs, the promise of transformation in American health care will wither. The real losers will be the citizens of the United States."

The clinic does, however, have praise for one of President Obama's proposals — creating an Independent Medicare Advisory Council that would set doctor, hospital and other provider payments under Medicare. The clinic's reaction? Good idea but would like to see it happen sooner than the current 2014 timeline.

"An independent Medicare advisory commission focused on defining value, measuring it, and finding ways to pay for value could have significant, positive impact on health care for the long term."

Here is a link to Mayo's public policy blog.

Pawlenty makes Democrats another offer

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has made another offer to Democratic leaders. The deal includes a $1.75 billion funding delay for K-12 education, a $450 cut in local government aid to cities, a $250 million cut to health and human services and $190 million cut to higher education. It would also include another $100 million in various reductions.

Lawmakers are meeting right now at a public hearing to discuss the offer. Off the table is a proposal the governor had been pushing for to borrow money based on the state's future tobacco settlement revenues. Pawlenty has said he is opposed to any tax increases. He vetoed a $1 billion proposal by Democrats that would have included raising income taxes on wealthier Minnesotans, boosting the alcohol tax and placing a surcharge on credit card companies' interest income.

Pawlenty has said if lawmakers fail to reach a deadline by the Constitutional deadline of Monday, he will balance the budget himself using his executive authority to cut the budget bills passed by lawmakers.

A $2.7 billion funding gap remains between the DFL's spending bills and the revenue available. On Thursday, the governor vetoed all funding for a health care program for poor Minnesotans called General Assistance Medical Care.

Pawlenty has until midnight tonight to sign and line-item veto the legislature's budget bills.

Senate OK's legalizing pot for medical use

The Minnesota Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill by a vote of 36 to 28 that would legalize marijuana for medicinal use. The bill's sponsor is Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing. Supporters argue legalizing pot for patients would offer relief to Minnesotans dealing with severe pain and terminal illnesses. Opponents, including law enforcement groups, contend it would hurt drug-fighting efforts and could mean more people getting addicted to what is now an illegal drug.

Both of Rochester's senators — DFLer Ann Lynch and Republican Dave Senjem — voted against the bill.

"Just think about it. Do the people of Minnesota really want marijuana to be legalized in the name of medicine? I don't think they do," Senjem said on the Senate floor.

Local lawmakers who voted for the measure include Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona, and Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin — along with the bill author Murphy.

A bill to legalize marijuana for medical use has passed the Senate before but has stalled in the House. If the bill does get through the legislature, it would still face a possible veto from Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Hospital leaders speak out against cuts

Hospital leaders from across the state traveled to the Capitol this morning to speak out against Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed cuts to hospitals. Among those making the trek were Mayo Clinic lobbyist Frank Iossi. He said Mayo Health Care Systems would lose an estimated $46 million in reimbursements over the next two years for the state.

Iossi said right now half of Mayo Health System's patients are on Medicare, Medicaid and MinnesotaCare. A major problem is that reimbursements have lagged behind actual costs for treatment. For instance, Mayo Clinic gets reimbursed 68 cents for every $1 spent on a Medicare patient.

"It's a cost shift. We have to charge others more for that, and we're at the point where we can't do that anymore," he said.

Statewide, the Minnesota Hospital Association estimates Pawlenty's budget would result in $764 million cuts to hospitals. Meanwhile, the House DFL's budget plan would cut more than $76 million. Here are some of the estimated cuts for Rochester hospitals under the governor's budget plan : St. Marys Hospital, $19 million; Methodist Hospital, $6.4 million; and Olmsted Medical Center, $1.3 million.

'Uh-oh' — Minnesota Dental Association targets Lynch in ad

I opened today's Rochester Post-Bulletin and was struck by a full-page ad  paid for by the Minnesota Dental Association. It features a patient with his mouth open and two gloved hands clutching dental tools that are in his mouth. Above the picture it says "The last thing you want to hear when you're getting dental care is 'uh-oh.'"

The ad then goes on to single out Rochester Sen. Ann Lynch saying she "wants to allow a new type of dental worker to perform unsupervised surgery on you and your family."

The ad urges readers to call the Democrat's office and "tell her unsupervised workers doing dental surgery is a bad idea."

This all centers around Lynch's bill, which would create a new mid-level dental practitioner. The goal is to help address dental access problems — especially for some lower-income residents in the urban core and rural areas. The oral health practitioners would be allowed to fill cavities, pull teeth and prescribe certain medication.

The Minnesota Dental Association today launched a vigorous ad campaign against the proposal. It includes a full-page ad in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune and ads in other newspapers across the state. They are also doing some radio ads and Web-only ads. But it's safe to say the association is spending tens of thousands of dollars to get their message out.

Nursing requirements ruffles Mayo's feathers

Winona Democratic Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes is sponsoring a bill that would mandate hospitals follow certain nurse staffing guidelines to protect patient safety. The bill would require all hospitals to draft a staffing plan by July 1, 2010. Direct care nurses must agree with this plan. Hospitals that fail to complete the plan could be subject to stiff penalties — including the suspension or revocation of its license to operate.

The bill also outlines specific requirements when it comes to how many patients a direct care nurse can have at a time, depending on the situation. Supporters argue this bill is about preserving patient safety.

But Mayo Clinic is not a fan. The clinic's lobbyist Frank Iossi said the clinic is concerned about putting mandates on state hospitals instead of allowing hospital staff to determine what nursing levels are needed.

The bill gets a hearing this afternoon before the Senate's Health, Housing and Family Security Committee.

A busy day for Roch lawmaker

Rochester Rep. Kim Norton will be making her pitch for four bills today in front of four different committees. The first bill up to bat would provide $6 million to build a steam pipeline from the Olmsted County Waste-to-Energy Facility to Rochester Community and Technical College. Fellow Democrat, Rochester Sen. Ann Lynch, presented the bill yesterday before a Senate committee looking at projects that would be ready to be built soon.

Next up is a bill that would allow public schools to start before Labor Day for the next two school years. It would also require a study to see if that change has an impact on the state's tourism industry. Minnesota resorts and the Minnesota State Fair have traditionally fought this bill, concerned that if schools starts early, it would mean less people traveling that weekend. Meanwhile, supporters argue it should be a local decision when schools start.

The third bill would modify nursing home requirements — including requiring that residents unable to move must have their position changed every two hours.

And finally, Norton will take her bill seeking to require insurance companies to pay for intensive Autism treatment before the House's Commerce and Labor Committee.

Cheaper dental fillings in Minnesota's future?

Rochester Rep. Kim Norton announced yesterday a plan to create a four-year dental therapist degree program at the University of Minnesota. The U's Board of Regents is expected to approve the program today. Norton also plans to introduce a bill today that would allow for dental therapists to practice in the state. Here's the story.

The idea behind the program is to help improve access to dentists for people in underserved rural areas and the poor. These mid-level dental professionals would be able to do preventative care including applying sealants and fluoride to teeth. They would also be trained to remove baby teeth from children and fill cavities, as long as a dentist is on site.

Norton's bill would also require that half of a dental therapist's workload be devoted to serving low-income or underserved patients.