Hoping to persuade Minnesota's new Republican legislative leaders to cut the $6 billion budget deficit with a scalpel instead of a hacksaw, a coalition of hospitals, doctors and other medical providers may offer a plan to restructure the state's large and costly health insurance programs.
"I don't think we have any choice," said Michael Scandrett, a Minneapolis health care consultant who has been active in the coalition. "We're going to have new leaders who are not as familiar with health issues as the DFL leaders were, and we have an opportunity to help them find solutions while minimizing the damage to people in need."
Coalition members, who met the day before voters turned the Legislature over to Republican control, are mindful that Medicaid, MinnesotaCare and the other big health programs consume roughly one-fifth of state spending and frequently have been targets of budget-cutting efforts.
Though still hazy, their proposal might build on current efforts to create "health care home" programs that offer efficient, coordinated care to patients with chronic or complex ailments, perhaps with a fixed payment covering a patient's total medical care.
Ultimately, any proposal from the group may test whether the next Legislature, which convenes Jan. 4, will be an arena for compromise or a battleground for the 2012 elections.
One top Republican was receptive on Thursday. "We'll listen to anything they have to say," said Rep. Jim Abeler of Anoka, who expects to head the House Health Care and Human Services Finance Division. "We all need to work smarter, and we all need to work together. I want to consider keeping our spending flat for the next biennium. I'm ready to listen."
Seeking common ground
First, the coalition representing doctors, hospitals, health plans and others must find its own common ground.