Thursday, Jan. 26, the Senate passed Senate File 1, the bill providing short-term assistance to Minnesotans who purchase health insurance on the individual market and have experienced exorbitant premium increases this year.
Specifics in the bill differ slightly from its previous Senate version, but the fundamental purpose remains: assistance to those who simply want affordable coverage for them and their family. The revised legislation comes out of a joint House and Senate conference committee, whose purpose was to work out differences between versions passed by the House and the Senate, and is made up of priorities of both the Legislature and Gov. Dayton. It includes over $311 million for premium relief, which will come directly from the insurer in the form of a 25-percent reduction in monthly premiums. The state will then reimburse insurers for these costs. The legislation also allocates $15 million for continuity of care, allowing individuals undergoing specific treatment to continue without switching providers. Minnesotans must purchase health insurance through the individual market, must not be receiving a federal subsidy, and must not be enrolled in Medical Assistance or Minnesota Care, to be eligible.
In addition to premium relief, the bill also includes a number of reforms to the health insurance market that will pave the way for additional, long-term reforms later this session.
Some of these measures include allowing certain agricultural cooperatives to offer group health plans, allowing for-profit HMOs to enter the individual market in hopes of expanding coverage options, eliminating ?Äúsurprise billing,?Äù and adding federal law conformity allowing small businesses to offer a direct contribution toward employee health insurance premiums.
Senate File 1 passed the House later in the day. Gov. Dayton is has signed the bill.