Jun 162009
As expected, health care and human services took a heavy hit in Pawlenty’s unallotment plan announced today. General Assistance Medical Care, the health care program for extremely poor Minnesotans that was the subject of emotionally wrought debate in the Legislature last month, will end a few months earlier than originally planned. Personal care attendants will have their hours further restricted. Outreach efforts that help people sign up for health care programs will be sharply reduced.
And meanwhile, another deficit looms in 2011 because these one-time cuts do nothing to fix the structural imbalances in the state budget. We haven’t quite reached California or New York levels of dysfunction in our state capitol, but we’re getting there.
