MN Health Powers Act Passes: Authorizes Health Officials to Detain Persons without a Court Order - any day, all year long

Press Releases • May 23, 2002

Although several citizen organizations testified multiple times against the provision, the MN Department of Health received authority to quarantine individuals and groups suspected of having a communicable or potentially communicable disease without a court order - 365 days a year.

MN Public Loses Rights in Health Powers Conference Committee

Press Releases • May 02, 2002

FIRST RIGHT: The first right to go was the right of the public to testify on the proposed legislation. Rep. Richard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe), chair of the committee and author of the bill (HF 3031), began the third hearing of the Conference Committee by saying public testimony would not be taken. It had not been allowed in the first hearing, but in the second hearing, thanks to the insistence of Rep. Lynda Boudreau (R-Faribault), the public was given permission to testify.

CCHC Testifies to Constitutional Concerns In Minnesota Health Powers Act

Press Releases • February 11, 2002

The Minnesota Emergency Health Powers Act has faulty reasoning and constitutional concerns according to Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC), a health care policy group which provided testimony in the Senate Health and Family Security Committee today.

CCHC Closed Meeting Provision Attached to Anti-Terrorism Bill

Press Releases • February 06, 2002

Closed meetings on security and emergency response procedures should not include discussions and decisions about medical procedures that impact the physical bodies of citizens, says Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC). The Civil Law Committee agreed. The amendment proposed by CCHC, and approved by the bill's author, was attached to the Minnesota House anti-terrorism bill (HF 2746).

HHS Unveils 24/7 Plan to Track Patients

Press Releases • January 31, 2002

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today released $1.1 billion and a plan to build government health surveillance systems in every state. The stated goal: to enhance public health infrastructure for bioterrorism preparedness. The plan: government access to everyone's medical record through their hospitals and doctor's offices.

"Freedom's Victory" Not Found in President's Pledge to Public Health Surveillance

Press Releases • January 30, 2002

Although President Bush stated that "America will lead by defending liberty and justice, because they are right and true and unchanging for all people everywhere," CCHC is concerned about a single sentence of the speech: "Knowledge gained from bioterrorism research will improve public health."

CCHC’s “Tax on Patients” Poster

Press Releases • December 13, 2001

"No tax should be hidden from the public. Increasing public awareness about the existence and cost of the tax, as well as how few of the dollars have been used for the subsidy program, is key to having a frank discussion on the value of the tax," says Twila Brase, R.N., president of CCHC.

CDC's Model State Emergency Health Powers Act Goes Too Far

Press Releases • December 04, 2001

To combat bioterrorism, federal health officials have proposed that state legislators give state health officials new powers over citizens. The powers proposed in the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act would be broad and sweeping, forcing citizens to submit to physical examinations, tests, quarantine and vaccinations against their will.

Minnesota Loses Another Health Insurance Option -- World Insurance Drops Out of State citing Regulatory Environment

Press Releases • May 03, 2001

Another sign that health insurance options for Minnesota consumers are increasingly limited to HMOs has just surfaced in a letter to insurance agents. World Insurance has just notified their Minnesota agents by mail that the company will no longer write insurance in Minnesota.

MN Legislature May Unwittingly Help HMOs Cut Their Financial Obligations for Patient Care

Press Releases • January 25, 2001

According to Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC), Minnesota legislators want health plans to cut payments to providers if the MinnesotaCare provider tax is repealed. However, in a detailed report published by CCHC last year, CCHC found no evidence that health plan payments to providers between 1993 and 1999 ever included the provider tax.