MN House Passes Health Bill

The Minnesota House approved a health care reform bill last night. Those in support of the bill said the plan would cover more than 100,000 currently uninsured residents . The 93% of Minnesotans who already have health insurance will be urged to make changes in their lifestyle like losing weight and quitting smoking. Brainerd lawmaker John Ward likes the plan and said it makes a difference between security and stability or life filled with worry about paying the bills. Royalton lawmaker Al Doty said more people will be covered by health insurance with this bill. Doty said its a collection a lot of ideas "that people think are going to work, so its got to be good in the long run." But House Republican Leader Marty Seifert said this is but one more step down the road to single-payer, government-run health care. Seifert said there is little in the bill that will reduce cost, very few free market principles but more government involvement. Seifert said "we don't want to put Katrina-style bureaucrats in charge of the Mayo Clinic." The House bill now joins the Senate version in a conference committee.