The Minnesota Health Plan (MHP) would be a single, statewide plan that would cover all Minnesotans for all their medical needs.
There are currently about 250,000 Minnesotans without any health insurance, and at least a million more who have insurance, but still cannot afford their medical bills due to co-payments, deductibles, and care not covered by their insurance, even after they pay high premiums. The MN Health Plan would eliminate the problem of un-insurance and under-insurance. It would replace our costly insurance system with healthcare for all. Equally important, it would reduce the need for costly medical care through public health, education, prevention, and early intervention.
Under the plan, patients would be able to see the medical providers of their choice when they need care, and their coverage by the health plan would not end when they lose their job or switch to a new employer.
Dental care, prescription drugs, vision & hearing, mental health, chemical dependency treatment, medical equipment and supplies would all be covered, as well as home care services, and nursing home care. Patients would use the same doctors and medical professionals, the same hospitals and clinics, but all the payments, covering all of the costs, would be made by the MHP, and everyone would be covered.
No need to fill out complex application forms, no worrying whether a provider is “in network” or not, no worrying about whether a treatment is covered or how to pay for the drugs.
The Minnesota Health Plan would be prohibited from restricting, delaying, or denying care, or reducing the quality of care to save money. Instead, it would reduce healthcare spending through fair pricing, efficiency, and the elimination of paperwork. MHP would restore medical decision-making to the doctor and patient, removing insurance companies from interfering with treatment decisions. The plan would address both access problems caused by cost and those caused by a shortage of health professionals and facilities around the state.
Healthcare would be funded by all Minnesotans, based on our ability to pay, replacing all government and private insurance plans and it would end all co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket expenses.
Although the Minnesota Health Plan is not cheap, it is less expensive than our current system, while providing a full range of health care services to everyone, greatly improving the health of Minnesotans.
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