Dear Neighbors, I hope this finds you well. It has been nice to see the sun - especially in light of the dark news that the Supreme Court will likely overturn Roe vs Wade revealed in a leaked draft opinion. It would reverse nearly 50 years of precedent and explicitly end federal constitutional protections for Americans’ ability to make decisions about their own bodies and their own, autonomous health care choices. As a physician and a co-chair of the Minnesota Reproductive Freedom Caucus, I remain committed to ensuring that all Minnesotans have access to the health care they need. Supporting Businesses and Workers The House, Senate, and Governor Walz reached a bipartisan agreement to both deliver bonus checks to frontline workers and replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. This is an important compromise to both thank our frontline heroes – first responders, health care workers, child care providers, food service and retail workers, and more – for their sacrifice AND helping businesses avoid a tax increase when they too adapted to keep patrons safe and their employees healthy.  The state of Minnesota is currently developing an online application system. Workers can sign up to receive notifications about updates at frontlinepay.mn.gov. Workers will have 45 days to apply once the application process opens. A full FAQ document, including eligibility information, is available here. Some businesses have already paid their first quarter taxes, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has indicated they will give them refunds and credits. Resources for business owners are available here. Our work continues as we pass supplemental budget bills in the Minnesota House. We have already advanced our House proposals in the following areas: Yesterday, the Minnesota House passed the Health and Human Services supplemental finance bill, which addresses healthcare work force challenges and the lack of access to affordable health care that has long plagued many in our state. We know the pandemic exacerbated many of these challenges and deepened the disparities that already existed. Minnesotans need access to the care and prescription medication they need to have the opportunity to have healthy and thriving lives. I was honored to contribute to this health care package which invests in strategies to help us close access gaps and address affordability. Recognizing the importance of getting infants, new mothers, and families off to the best possible start, the bill includes my provisions to offer universal voluntary home visiting in the prenatal and immediate postpartum period, and to ensure access to long-acting reversible contraception after giving birth in a hospital for those who request it. I also have a provision included in the budget that helps reduce the price of prescription drugs with the creation of a commission to review and address drugs priced at high levels that present an affordability challenge to patients and the health care system. The final bill also includes my provision to update and improve prescription drug reporting requirements related to my 2020 bipartisan Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act, which I successfully passed into law as a standalone bill.  |