On Thursday, the Minnesota Senate passed the amended 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access Act (Senate File 1), which includes provisions to provide immediate relief to the consumers in the insurance market, as well as long term reform, on a bipartisan vote of 47-19. The bill, which was initially passed in the Senate on January 12th, had been in conference committee since the start of the week to resolve differences with the House and the Governor.
“With the 2017 legislative year less than a month in I’m happy to see our caucus move so quickly by getting health care relief and reform done” Senator Ruud said. “The Health Care Emergency Aid and Access Act is a meaningful first step in fixing our state’s insurance crisis, and Republicans in the legislature remain committed to continue to fix the issues”
Key Provisions of the 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access Act:
- $311 million in emergency premium aid for Minnesotans devastated by Obamacare rate hikes. Eligible customers will see a 25% rebate on their insurance bills.
- $15 million in continuation of care for patients with serious conditions who have lost their doctors.
- Increased transparency for customers by requiring early public disclosure of premiums. This will give Minnesotans more time to make plans for their health insurance in the upcoming year.
- Allows for-profit HMOs to offer insurance in Minnesota’s individual market, providing customers with more choices.
- Allows farmers to participate in lower-cost group health plans through agriculture co-ops.
- Allows small businesses to participate in stop-loss plans that reduce premiums for both employers and employees.
- Instructs the Commerce Department to research the benefits of allowing small businesses to offer low-cost, flexible benefit packages for employees.
- Reduces surprise billing by prohibiting in-network hospitals or clinics from using out-of-network providers without prior notice, saving patients from huge surprise bills after they receive care.
The 2017 Health Care Emergency Aid and Access Act now awaits passage in Minnesota House of Representatives, where it is expected the House will pass the bill during session this afternoon. Following the House’s passage, the bill will head to the Governor who announced plans to sign the legislation as soon as he received it.