Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

Health Care: The Vision and the Details en español

The Vision:

Minnesota must be a place where every man, woman and child can see a doctor or nurse for the care they need when they need it — regardless of income and regardless of where they live in the state. Period.

The Details:

First off, we have to establish fair affordability standards for the families of Minnesota.  Today 240,000 families with insurance pay more than 25% of their income on health care.  We must do better. By redesigning health coverage, we can hold down the cost of health care for Minnesota’s families and businesses. Streamlining redundant and wasteful programs will go a long way to reducing unneeded spending. And a new focus on research and innovation – partnering with state leaders like the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic – should be coupled with smart government policy to finally provide Minnesotans with the affordable, quality health coverage they deserve.

In addition, we must also fundamentally change the way we think about health care. It’s simply unacceptable for our system to a) deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, b) avoid preventative treatment in order to rake in excess procedural costs, and c) discontinue coverage during job transition. These actions are simply immoral. Our system needs to be one of preventative treatment, accessibility, and portability. Doctors should be paid to keep people healthy, not just cure sickness; and hospitals should be care-based, not profit-based. The health and well being of our loved-ones simply cannot be determined by the ebb and flow of the economy and its effect on the budgets of health care providers.

We have an incredible opportunity to reinvent our communities and how we think about healthy living.  We can empower people from all socioeconomic backgrounds to live healthier lives.  Through innovative city planning and honest public discourse, our communities should promote physical activity and healthy eating, and instill those values into our lifestyles.

As chair of the Health and Human Services Policy Committee, I’ve done more to expand health care than any other candidate for Governor. By authoring the Children’s Health Security Act, I fought to provide a health care option for nearly 40,000 previously uninsured children in Minnesota. As Governor, I am committed to continue using my passion, expertise and judgment on health care issues to locate and fix the problematic areas of today’s health care, and create a more affordable, functional system for tomorrow.