ST. PAUL, MN—House Democrats voted on Thursday to pass their Health and Human Services Finance bill (HF2414) which increases health care costs, makes harmful cuts to nursing homes that provide care to aging Minnesotans, and fails to prevent rampant fraud in Minnesota's childcare and other public programs. At more than 1100 pages, HF2414 is believed to be the largest bill in state history.
“Despite a $1 billion surplus and hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases, the House Democrats' Health and Human Service bill cuts $68 million in funding for nursing homes and increases the cost of healthcare by reinstating the Sick Tax. This tax adds 2% to the cost of every doctor visit and medical procedure," said Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove. "This bill also fails to address real and serious fraud in our childcare (CCAP) program. The House DFL voted down every Republican amendment to bring accountability to the Department and ensure bad actors are not allowed to continue to operate."
The bill includes an extension of the provider tax that will add more than $2.5 billion to the cost of Minnesotans' health care over the next four years and includes changes to nursing home reimbursement rates that result in $68 million in cuts to Minnesota nursing facilities. The bill also fails to extend Minnesota's reinsurance program, which could cause premium rates to skyrocket next year.
Democrats also included minimal changes to combat rampant fraud in public programs. This session, Democrats refused to hold hearings on reports from the non-partisan legislative auditor on fraud in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and refused to give hearings to numerous Republican-backed bills to prevent fraud and address recommendations in the OLA reports.
###