ST. PAUL, MN—The Minnesota House overwhelmingly approved the conference committee report for Senate File 1 Thursday on a vote of 108-19. The bill provides a 25% premium reduction to Minnesotans who do not qualify for MNsure tax credits on the individual market, and includes key Republican-led reforms to preserve care for those receiving life-saving treatments and increase competition and consumer choice moving forward. The bill passed the Senate earlier Thursday afternoon with bipartisan support.
“I co-authored this legislation to provide immediate premium relief, and start to institute badly needed reforms to our health care system,” said Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park. “It’s encouraging to see both parties come together to quickly pass this bill on to the governor.”
GOP-led reforms included in the final bill include:
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Allowing for-profit HMOs to operate in Minnesota (like most states) which will increase options for consumers
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Modifying stop loss coverage to make it easier for more small businesses to offer affordable insurance to their employees.
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Providing greater transparency for proposed insurance premium changes by requiring earlier disclosure of proposed rates.
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Allowing Agricultural Cooperatives to offer group health insurance to their members so farmers and their families can get better access to care and more affordable coverage.
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Ensuring Minnesota employees can benefit from the recently passed federal 21st Century Cures Act which allows employers to make pre-tax contributions toward employee health insurance costs.
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Network adequacy reform that will assist in ensuring more options for residents in rural Minnesota.
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Prohibiting surprise billing to protect consumers from previously undisclosed costs.
The bill will now go to the governor, who is expected to sign it into law.
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