Statewide Commentary: M.A. Option Is Common Sense

The Republican TV ads for November must already be filmed and ready to go. Republicans running for state offices have clearly decided to jump on the bandwagon of opposition to the national health care bill.

And so Republicans in the Legislature — led by gubernatorial candidate, Tom Emmer — walked away from $1.4 billion in health care investments that would have immediately shored up struggling hospitals and clinics and held down your health care premiums. This is cynical politics at its worst and Minnesotans should be outraged.

Here?s the background: Minnesota currently pays the cost of health care for about 82,000 of the poorest, most vulnerable Minnesotans without children using only state tax dollars. But this year, we are being given the opportunity to immediately move those individuals to Medicaid, which means that the federal government would pick up half of the cost of their health care. Taking advantage of the offer would be incredibly beneficial for Minnesota.

Indeed, the deal is so good for Minnesota that Gov. Tim Pawlenty (no fan of federal health care reform) initially offered to include the Medicaid option as

part of the final state budget agreement — until Republican legislators raised such a political ruckus that the governor retreated.

So what does the Republican?s decision to kill the opportunity mean?

First, thousands of health care jobs in Minnesota will be lost at a time when we can ill-afford more unemployment. Local hospitals and clinics will miss out

on dramatically improved reimbursement rates and will suffer millions of dollars in losses instead. And every one of us with private health insurance will experience higher premium increases in the future to make up for those losses.

Moreover, by refusing the new Medicaid option, a cash-strapped state of Minnesota will miss the chance to draw down $1.4 billion in federal funds, money that will now go to other states to help balance their state budgets. Passing up the federal help makes little sense for Minnesota which today only gets back about 76 cents for every federal tax dollar paid to Washington, D.C.

Moreover, we could draw down the $1.4 billion with an investment of $190 million state dollars. It boggles my mind that Republicans, who seemingly pride themselves on their business acumen, would have passed on the opportunity to get back $7.45 for every dollar invested.

But that?s not the worst of it. The same Republicans in the Minnesota House who vehemently oppose the Medicaid option today actually offered and supported an essentially identical proposal to move those 82,000 Minnesotans into Medicaid just one year ago!

So why did the Republican legislators flip-flop and reject the chance to preserve good jobs, hold your health care premiums down and get back some hard-earned federal tax dollars to Minnesota?

The answer is obvious: Electoral politics. The Republicans, from Tom Emmer on down, want to scare the people of Minnesota with the specter of “Obamacare” to gain votes in November.

Don?t buy into the fear-mongering. The Medicaid option is not government take-over of health care. It is simply a fuller utilization of a health care program that began in 1965 and is largely administered by private health insurance companies.

In other words, when a Republican legislator or candidate says he opposes “government take-over of health care”, what he?s really saying is that he wants to get rid of a program that already provides coverage for more than 500,000 Minnesotans each month; more than half of them are children and families, the remaining are seniors and people who have disabilities.

So next time you see Tom Emmer or a Republican legislative candidate, ask him why he doesn?t want Minnesota to get more of your hard-earned federal tax dollars back. Ask him why Republican legislators were overwhelmingly for the Medicaid option before they were against it. And ask him why he is unwilling to stand up for Minnesota hospitals and clinics and fight to preserve Minnesota jobs. And when you go to the polls in November, remember the answers.

Session Summary 2010

Thank you for the privilege of serving you in the State House of Representatives.  The last two years  have been challenging for Minnesota. My top priority has been to make sure our state government is working as a partner with you to jump start private sector job creation, to shield vulnerable families who have lost jobs, health care and homes from the worst ravages of the economy and to put in place reforms and protections to avoid similar catastrophes in the future.

Of course, budget deficits dominated discussions at the Capitol.  Faced with a $6.4 billion deficit in 2009 and a subsequent $3 billion deficit in 2010, I worked to equitably balance the budget, implement reforms, control spending, and bring much-needed revenue into Minnesota.   Cuts were made to most areas of the budget, including deep reductions in health and human services and higher education.  I argued for fairer state taxes on wealthier Minnesotans rather than increased property taxes to fund the most basic of services: police and fire, roads and bridges, and K-12 education.   I also did not just talk about reforming government; I authored and passed several laws that will change the way we do business as a state.

The next legislative session will be even more challenging.  It is clear that our current path — eight years of ideological politics, slashed programs and higher property taxes, and an unwillingness to fundamentally change how we do the business of government — is unsustainable.  I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you to bring smart and practical new ideas forward – and actually implement them into law.

Thank you for your commitment to Minnesota and for contacting my office with your opinions, thoughts, and concerns.  I am proud to represent Richfield and south Minneapolis in the Minnesota House of Representatives and look forward to continuing to serve district 63A.  I hope to see many of you during the upcoming months.

Thissen Thanks DFL

Despite falling short of the DFL endorsement, it is time to be profoundly thankful.

I am thankful for my amazing opponents – statesman and moral compass John Marty, gutsy and outspoken advocate Tom Rukavina, inspirational and hopeful leader RT Ryback, and smart and diligent worker Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

It seems like such an incredible understatement to simply say thank you for your support. I am humbled, thrilled and inspired by those of you who got involved for the first time because you wanted to work together to take back the governor’s office. I’m heartened to the longtime activists who through their experienced eyes, saw someone that they could trust in me.

I am thankful for my family’s constant support and encouragement. My dad and my wife, Karen, made literally thousands of phone calls. My mom and my sister were my rocks as I traveled Minnesota, taking care of everything from my children to feeding my campaign staff. My kids have been patient while they waited for their dad to get home from being on the road campaigning with my team. My family was and is the foundation of our team.

And that campaign team– the whiz kids who made up my staff proved that with countless hours, a little heart and a lot of moxie – that the future of the DFL is filled with potential and that they will not be out-worked, out-organized, or out-shone.

Most important, I am thankful to all of you for seeing the same vibrant future for Minnesota that I do. Over a year ago, when I started this campaign, I was the tall guy with the white hair and the hard-to-pronounce last name.

The past year was filled with thousands of miles, traveling from Hawley to Rochester, Marshall to Bemidji, the Twin Cities and finally here to Duluth. Over all of those miles, I heard over and over again from people who knew that it was Minnesota’s time.

My campaign’s story is a Minnesota story. It’s a story where the person with fewer advantages who is less well known becomes successful with hard work, grit, and sheer determination.

For an entire year, I had the overwhelming opportunity to envision a better Minnesota with all of you. Even though I fell short of becoming your nominee, I am lucky and blessed to share that vision of a vibrant future. With that in mind, I have no regrets and I leave this election in your capable hands.

Thank you all for your incredible support.

News: Paul’s equality bill earns national press

MSNBC: MN bills would give same-sex couples death rights

By (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Two bills up for hearings on Wednesday would give same-sex partners and other unmarried couples more rights when one partner dies.

The House Civil Justice Committee will hear the proposals, both from Democrats.

The bill from Rep. Paul Thissen of Minneapolis would give the surviving partner the right to access health records and consent to autopsies.

Another proposal from Rep. Steve Simon of St. Louis Park would let surviving partners have witness privileges and crime victim rights in wrongful death cases.

Currently these rights go only to a person’s surviving spouse or immediate family.

Don Fraser: Thissen Best Choice for MN

Dear DFLer,

Irresponsible leadership in the Governor’s office is costing our state dearly.  . We must reverse the ill-advised moves of the current Republican administration, including its conspicuous efforts to shift tax burdens away from the well-to-do, and onto the rest of us.

The stakes in this election are high and the challenges daunting. I believe that Paul Thissen is the candidate who gives us our best chance of restoring progressive leadership to the governor’s office.

Other candidates began this campaign with stronger name recognition, but as election day draws near, voters make their own assessments. They take the measure of the candidates and what they will bring to the office they seek.

A close look at Paul Thissen tells us what the voters will see as the campaign for governor proceeds.  Paul’s forebearers homesteaded in western Minnesota.  His parents taught in the Richfield and St. Paul public schools. He grew up in Bloomington, excelled at school, graduated from Harvard and went on to study law at the University of Chicago.  After law school, he and Karen moved back to Minnesota where they are raising their three kids who attend public schools.

Paul served as a state public defender and then built a successful legal career at a Minneapolis law firm, where he also chaired the pro bono committee that provides free legal services to nonprofits across the state, and to low-income Minnesotans.

Eight years ago, he knocked on every door in his legislative district, campaigned by listening to what people had to say, and won.  As chair of the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee, he has been a leader in addressing health care needs in Minnesota.

Paul Thissen is a fresh face that will breathe new life into the campaign.  He is convinced that hard work is the only way to win elections, and listening is the only way to govern effectively.

I believe that as Paul Thissen becomes known, he represents our best chance to put Minnesota back on the road as a leading state in our nation. As Democrats, we need to learn the lessons of our past losses in the governor’s race.  The old model of name recognition and politics as usual will not work.  We need a fresh face and new ideas if we want to win in November.

Paul Thissen is the candidate who can defeat the Republicans and take back the corner office at the Capitol for the DFL.   Check him out at www.paulthissen.com.

Thank you,

Don Fraser

Former 5th Congressional District Representative

Former Mayor of Minneapolis