Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you all are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. It is hard to believe that the State Fair is starting and it’s almost time for kids to go back to school!
Insulin Affordability
I have good news to share with you today! Another insurance company has taken great steps to improve insulin affordability. Today, Blue Cross Blue Shield guaranteed coverage of insulin costs next year with a $0 copay at the pharmacy counter. Medica and UCare recently promised a $25 cap on monthly insulin costs. Hopefully HealthPartners will soon follow.
I am glad to see the free market is doing its job. Insurance companies can make changes without the need for government mandates. Senate Republicans continue to allow the market to correct itself before stepping in as insurers compete to provide competitive good services, Minnesotans will have access to insulin. As the insurance companies do their part to help patients, as a Senator, I will continue to monitor this issue and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable.
Transportation
A study released today shows Minnesota highways now rank 22nd in the country which is an improvement from last year! In over-all cost-effectiveness and condition, Minnesota has moved up 3 spots. We still have a lot of work to do to improve congestion and pavement condition, but this demonstrates that our transportation budget is accomplishing a lot. I am glad we stood strong against the Governor’s ridiculous 20 cent gas tax increase plus future automatic inflation increases. This ranking proves we can make progress without more road taxes. We will continue to find new and innovative ways to use each tax dollar effectively so we can continue to improve. To see the report, click here.
As always, please feel free to contact me any time. You can call me at 651-296-5655 or send me an email: sen.mary.kiffmeyer@senate.mn.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Mary