Dayton cranks up pressure on feds to protect health programs

Published 7:56 am Thursday, September 21, 2017

ST. PAUL — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton blasted federal health officials Wednesday for holding up approval of a program meant to lower health insurance costs and threatening millions of dollars in cuts to health care for the working poor.

State lawmakers tackled a precarious health insurance market on their own this year, creating a $542 million reinsurance pool to help lower costs for 2018 after years of inflating premiums for shoppers who buy coverage on their own. But Minnesota is one of just two states to also offer a so-called basic health program — covering low-income residents with the help of extra federal dollars — and it’s causing the state problems.

Despite assurances that final signoff would come by August, state officials are still awaiting formal approval as open enrollment fast approaches. And after working closely with the federal Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that the state’s other health programs wouldn’t be affected, Dayton’s administration revealed this week that President Trump’s administration planned to cut almost $370 million from that low-income  coverage.

Email newsletter signup

The Democratic governor called the situation a nightmare, saying the holdup in approval could cause premiums for 2018 to jump an estimated 20 percent. And he said the federal government has been little help in addressing his concerns.

“I can’t get the secretary of Health and Human Services on the telephone. I can’t even get a phone number to call him on,” Dayton said.

Open enrollment begins Nov. 1, but MNsure — the state’s health insurance exchange — needs to start loading information for 2018’s health plans into its systems much sooner. Health insurance rates are set to be finalized Oct. 2.