By: JACKIE CROSBY - Star Tribune
Posted: September 18,
2012
Dayton
ramps up health care exchange plan, reassures GOP foes.
Gov. Mark
Dayton told legislative leaders Tuesday that he will seek federal approval to
move forward on a Minnesota-made health insurance exchange, but he sought to
assure Republican opponents that he will defer important policy decisions until
after the November election. Dayton also said he was shifting responsibility
for leading the "next phase" of the exchange to a new state agency. The actions
are a sign of continued movement to set up a state-run exchange, a key component
of President Obama's health care law. The exchanges are scheduled to launch
nationwide in 2014 and aim to be competitive marketplaces for individuals and
small businesses to comparison shop for health insurance. "While the Affordable
Care Act continues to be debated in the political arena, the law is clear:
either we design and implement a state-based exchange, or we will be assigned to
a one-size-fits-all federal exchange," Dayton said in a letter to the
legislators.
More than 1.2
million Minnesotans are expected to be eligible for the exchange, which
supporters say will make buying health insurance as user-friendly as shopping
for an airline ticket on a travel website.
The state has
received $28.5 million in federal grants to hire staff and lay the foundation.
It has applied for another $42.5 million to build the technical infrastructure.
States have until Nov. 16 to submit paperwork to the federal government to prove
they will have a functioning exchange by the Oct. 1, 2013, open enrollment
period.
While a
Minnesota-designed exchange has the support of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
and some key Republican leaders, it does not enjoy full bipartisan support.
Lawmakers were unable to get an exchange bill out of committee during the
previous two legislative sessions, and Dayton has signaled he will use his
authority to move forward without legislators, if need be. Dayton seemed to
soften that stance in the letter Tuesday, emphasizing in bold type that he would
"not commit Minnesota to any final policy decisions in the application,"
including how the exchange will be financed and whether it will be governed by
the state, a nonprofit agency or a combination. "I respect the authority of the
Legislature to participate in these decisions, and strongly prefer that we all
work together to make these crucial choices," he said. Dayton said he will give
the reins to Minnesota Management and Budget to begin scaling up the effort and
dealing with what promises to be a more complex and turbulent period where
battle lines about how the exchange will work will become more clear. Minnesota
Management and Budget Commissioner James Schowalter has served Republican and
Democratic administrations.
Until now,
Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman has spearheaded the effort. Brokers and some
businesses have raised concerns recently that the process hasn't been
transparent enough. Dayton's letter said the move would address concerns that
the Commerce Department, which regulates the insurance industry, shouldn't also
be involved in building core functions of an exchange it will
oversee.
Dayton's chief
of staff, Tina Flint-Smith, acknowledged the concerns about conflicts with the
Department of Commerce and said, "We listened to that."
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