letters

MEDICAID

If HMOs want in, demand transparency

Not surprisingly, Minnesota's health plans suggest that the state shift the administration of its public health programs for those with disabilities into a program administered by insurance companies ("Taking a whack at Medicaid," Jan. 27).

Without evidence, they claim this will save the state up to $300 million annually. Shockingly, we let them get away with it. Minnesotans hand over $3 billion of taxpayer money each year to Minnesota HMOs to manage most of our public health care programs and demand no auditing in return.

Historically, adding a middleman to "manage" health care delivery has added costs, not lowered them.

DR. LISA NILLES, MINNEAPOLIS

The writer is acting director of the Minnesota Universal Health Care Coalition.

TEACHERS

We need more details about compensation

Recent articles about a proposed pay freeze for teachers have contained predictable posturing from the usual suspects -- politicians, union leaders, teachers and school administrators -- but little information about current teacher pay.

Readers learned only that: (1) starting pay for teachers averages $33,000 per year; (2) the average teacher made $52,431 in 2009-10, and (3) salaries and benefits rose an average of 3.8 percent in 2009-11.

If Minnesotans are to judge the reasonableness of the Republican proposal, shouldn't they be provided with useful information about teacher pay? Do the $33,000 and $52,431 averages include benefits, or only salary?

If benefits aren't included, what are those worth? What is the full range in total compensation? How many hours per year do teachers work for this pay? How many unemployed teachers are seeking positions at current compensation levels?

And how does pay in the public sector compare to pay in the private sector?

Let's put the relevant facts on the table and let the people decide whether a freeze is "unfair or overdue."

GREGG J. CAVANAGH, MAPLE GROVE

UNIONS

There's a reason it's called 'bargaining'

In a recent commentary ("Changing the model for public workers is hard but necessary" Jan. 26), State Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina, referred to collective bargaining as the "old model."

I'm not sure what model he's referring to, but I know of no collective bargaining that institutes "guaranteed raises."

The essence of collective bargaining is to bring labor and management to the table to negotiate wages and benefits. This system works.

The union that I represent had negotiated a 3 percent wage increase for 2010 -- an increase that my employer agreed to in a three-year contract. In 2009, my employer indicated a desire to open the contract to discuss the wage increase.

In order to avoid layoffs or a possible elimination of a position, we agreed to wage concessions for 2010. Management and labor worked together to help each other with the budget problems. This year we are looking at no wage increase.

The union-busting politics that are taking place in the Legislature this year are a travesty. To put the financial problems of the state on the backs of employees is just wrong.

ERIC CURRAN-BAKKEN, ST. LOUIS PARK

The writer is president of St. Louis Park Firefighters IAFF Local 993.

THE MESSAGE

What signals are the politicians sending?

Republican legislators want to do away with any state permit to buy a handgun, but they want to add a permit to vote. I can only surmise they believe having more handguns and fewer voters is what Minnesota needs.

JEREMY POWERS, FRIDLEY

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Independents want change and vote in a Republican Legislature to deal with a huge deficit, education funding and health care. Republicans rush to enact laws loosening gun control, tightening voter registration and changing abortion policies. Tax cuts are sure to follow.

Same old, same old. Republican legislators have a long way to go to retain their mandate beyond two years.

JOHN JACKSON, BLOOMINGTON

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I was pleasantly surprised to see Wednesday's front-page headline using President Obama's new catch phrase, "Win the Future." It appears that his teleprompter has discovered Newt Gingrich, and has decided to co-opt the title of Newt's book "Winning the Future." Let's hope that more of Gingrich's ideas are appropriated for use by this administration.

DAN GREEF, PLYMOUTH

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