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Committee sends bill to block public-option waiver to Commerce committee after wide testimony
Summary
House File 27, carried by Rep. Backer, would bar state work toward a MinnesotaCare "public option" waiver and rescind an appropriation; the Health Finance and Policy Committee voted to re-refer the bill to Commerce, Finance and Policy after two-minute testimony slots from insurers, hospitals, employers and patient advocates.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The House Health Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 17 re-referred House File 27 to the Committee on Commerce, Finance and Policy after testimony that split along familiar lines over a proposed MinnesotaCare public option.
Rep. Josh Backer, sponsor of House File 27, said the bill would instruct state agencies to stop work on designing and seeking a federal waiver to implement a public-option model and would cancel a $21 million appropriation tied to the waiver effort. "What this bill does is it makes it very clear to the department that they are to discontinue any work on advancing a public option," Backer told the committee.
Business groups, hospitals and some provider organizations testified in favor of the measure, arguing the waiver and an expanded…
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