The Minnesota House and Senate have passed budget bills that slash health care spending. Nursing homes, hospitals, home care agencies, and other health care providers are all likely to see rate reductions. And it’s likely that the final version of the bill will be vetoed because both the House and Senate rely on tax increases to avoid deeper cuts that would result in tens of thousands losing all health coverage.
What we’re seeing in Minnesota is a precursor to the larger national debate coming this summer on the proper role of government in providing health care. Pawlenty and his allies argue that health care spending is taking a bigger bite out of the budget pie every year. Democrats argue that shrinking public health insurance rolls will only increase costs for everyone and push people deeper into poverty, particularly in small towns where nursing homes are one of the largest local employers. Unfortunately, there are no good solutions and both sides know it. Expect a lot of posturing and bluster as the Legislature and governor try to figure where to draw their lines in the sand.
don’t mean to sound alarmist, but: I have a feeling that any developments in the swine flu pandemic (because, let’s be honest, it’s only going to get worse) will really shape this summer’s discussion about health care coverage.
I don’t get the panic over the swine flu. We have flu season every winter with tens of thousands of deaths and no fanfare. Why are we panicking now? If fewer than 35,000 people die, this will be one of the least deadly flues in a decade or more.
I am one of the people who contracted Guillaine-Barre syndrome from the rushed-to-market swine flu vaccine during the swine flu panic of 1976, so I am not able to receive any flu shots. So my perspective is coming from someone who is never vaccinated against any flu strain.
As for solutions, I still vote to make you the health care Czar. At least you know what you are talking about, unlike the nincompoops we’ve elected. I know you’re a crazy atheist liberal, but frankly, it can’t get much worse, so go for it.