Universal Health Care for Every Minnesota Resident by 2011

Ten Minnesota lawmakers make up the Legislative Commission on Health Care Access (HCA) that was created in 1992 to oversee and review the progress of the Department of Health, the Minnesota Health Care Commission, and other agencies involved in implementing the MinnesotaCare law.

According to the Associated Press, the 10-member panel is currently working toward the goal of health care coverage for every Minnesota resident within the next four years. For universal health care coverage to be a top priority on the 2008 legislative agenda, the panel has a Jan. 15 deadline, and the HCA's plan is to meet regularly until that is accomplished.

The going is slow, however. According to the AP, the panel spent most of Wednesday listening to presentations of more cost-effective proposals than universal care, which prompted Sen. John Marty to express his frustration: "We're going to be in another century before we make progress on universal care this way," he said. Many of the panel members already have numerous health care policy plans on their shelves, and Rep. Tom Huntley voiced his concerns as well: "We're not interested in a plan that will be put on a shelf - we're interested in a plan that will be implemented next year," he said.

The AP reports that three other states, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont have already enacted universal health care plans, and California, Illinois and Pennsylvania have proposals in the works. However, Minnesota already has the lowest rate of uninsured residents in the nation, which lawmakers believe will be to the state's advantage.

According to the Minnesota Dept. of Human Services, approximately 662,000 Minnesotans have health care coverage through publicly funded Minnesota Health Care Programs: Medical Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care and MinnesotaCare. Through these programs, the state pays all or some of eligible enrollee's medical care. About 70 percent of the Department's budget is devoted to these three health care programs, and about half of the eligible enrollees are children under 21.