Health Care Access Fund Initiatives

Quoted from a State Health Department Document:

Background:

MinnesotaCare is a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of health care services, increase access to health coverage for the uninsured and contain health care costs. These strategies are funded by premiums paid by enrollees of the program to the uninsured, a 1% premium tax on HMOs and non-profit health service companies and 2% tax on providers. The total amount of revenue generated by these funding mechanisms will be approximately $200 million in fiscal year 1997 Of the funds currently being used from this fund, approximately 80% is used for the MinnesotaCare Subsidy Program for the Uninsured while the remaining 20% is used for initiatives such as those below. The following list of activities, all supported by the fund, are varied and help to meet the goals identified above.

Quality Initiatives:

• Public Health Initiatives
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Administrative Simplification
• Minnesota Health Data Institute
• Information Clearinghouse
• Action Plans
• Collaboration Plans
• Health Plan Atlas
• Universal Standard Benefit Set Development
• Long Term Care Study
• Anesthesia Study
• Hospital Alternative Licensing Model Study
• Health Care Demonstration Project- RCB 5
• Health Care Market Issue /Policy Development
• Medical Education and Research Cost Advisory Committee

Access Initiatives:

• MinnesotaCare Program for the Uninsured
• Small Group and Individual Insurance Reforms
• Minnesota Employees Insurance Program
• Purchasing Pool Start Up and Technical Assistance
• Risk Adjustment
• Prescription Drug Study
• Expanded Provider Network Regulations
• 24 Hour Coverage Plan Development
• Tax Deducibility for Self-Employed
• Community Integrated Service Network Development
• Health Care Cooperative Development
• Rural Health Initiatives
  • Provider Loan Forgiveness Programs for Rural and Urban Underserved Communities
  • Planning and Transition Grant Programs for Hospitals
  • Sole Community Hospital Grant Program
  • Technical Assistance for Federal Rural Health Programs
  • Health Services Personnel Database
  • Provider Recruitment and Retention Initiatives
  • Collaborative Nurse Practitioner Program
  • Community Health Center Grant Program
  • Barriers to Health Care Access Study
  • Substitute Physician Demonstration Project
• U of M Primary Provider Initiative

Cost Containment Initiatives:

• Delivery System Reforms
• Market Report
• Antitrust Exception Process
• Development and Monitoring of Cost Containment Goals
• Data Collection and Analysis

Other Initiatives:

• Administration of MinnesotaCare Financing Mechanism
  • (Departments of Human Services and Revenue)
• Summer Health Care Internship Program
• Public Input and Planning
  • Regional Coordinating Boards
  • Minnesota Health Care Commission
  • Health Technology Advisory Committee
• Rural Health Advisory Committee
• Medical Education and Research Cost Advisory Committee
• Other task forces and work groups

State Agencies/Organizations Receiving Funding from the Health Care Access Fund:

• Higher Education Coordinating Board (not in existence any longer - appropriation made to MDHI)
• Department of Human Services
• Department of Health
• Minnesota Health Care Commission
• Minnesota Health Data Institute
• Department of Commerce
• Legislature
• Department of Revenue
• Department of Employee Relations (received some start up funding only - paid back to date)
• University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Duluth