CCHC tells Gov. Pawlenty thank you

Minneapolis/Saint Paul - In response to the controversial Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange being deleted today from Sen. Berglin's health care reform bill (S.F. 3099), Twila Brase, president of Citizens' Council on Health Care, released the following statement:

"We appreciate Governor Pawlenty's willingness to listen to the very real concerns expressed by the many testifiers that came to hearing after hearing. The Health Insurance Exchange promised to be a very unnecessary and expensive government bureaucracy that would have negatively impacted those who buy health insurance and those who sell it.

"We will evaluate the new amendment, and let the Governor know if there are any concerns with the proposed Health Insurance Access Brokers proposal that took the place of the Exchange. Like the Massachusetts health plan which found itself more than $400 million over budget due to the rapid uptake of subsidized health insurance, there may be a similar financial concern related to the requirement that this new class of brokers encourage enrollment in state health care programs.

"Meanwhile, we thank the Governor for listening to the concerns of all the people who came, called, and testified."

Citizens' Council on Health Care has already emailed their appreciation to Governor Pawlenty and his staff.

Governor Pawlenty, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, which opposed an attempt by Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) to add informed parent consent during the Senate Judiciary debate, is in support of the bill as is—without parent consent.

Citizens' Council on Health Care has already emailed their appreciation to Governor Pawlenty and his staff.

Twila Brase is president of Citizens' Council on Health Care. She can be reached at 651-646-8935 office.