Minnesotacare Buy-In Phonebank March 22

[Kimchijeon]

http://www.takeactionminnesota.org/event/minnesotacare-buy-in-phonebank-5/

Guess it turns out that DFL Sen. Ann Rest of New Hope wasn't on the floor yesterday evening to provide the needed 34th vote... ARGH

I dunno, I really hope that this passes. Overall I am optimistic and thankful to be in MN, the outlook for working class/poor/disabled healthcare will be much better off than other states.

March 22 at 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Join us as we generate stories and support for Gov. Dayton’s MinnesotaCare Buy-In proposal. This legislation would allow ANY Minnesotan buying individual insurance to pay for MinnesotaCare, one of our best, quality, affordable public health care programs. At these phonebanks we’ll call constituents and put them in touch with their elected officials in support of this bill.

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/VDloUU9kxEWFD54zL_CQ9g2
- See more at: http://www.takeactionminnesota.org/event/minnesotacare-buy-in-phonebank-5/#sthash.dvbjvO7N.dpuf

[progree]

1. She's my state senator, double ARGH. I am sure though she is in support of this.

I read her newsletter all the time. Also she has joint townhalls about every month with the 45A and 45B reps, and a listening session every 2 weeks at Frankie's Pizza in New Hope.

[progree]

2. Sen. Ann Rest was in Washington D.C.

From her newsletter:

I serve on the Great Lakes Commission as a member from Minnesota along with Commissioner John Stine of the MPCA (our Vice-Chairman and the head of the MN delegation) and Senator Carrie Ruud and Representatives Jennifer Schultz and Paul Torkelson. We meet officially twice a year and work on proposals and receive updates on projects at that those meetings which guide the Commission staff throughout the year on various projects.

Commissioner Stine, Representative Schultz and I were in Washington, D.C. this week for the semi-annual meeting and “Great Lakes Days,” which is also supported by any number of non-profit organizations that focus on the environmental and economic health of the Great Lakes basin. Senator Ruud and Rep. Torkelson chose not to attend, and indeed it was a busy week for the majority party as we approached another deadline. (I wished I could have been here to vote on the reinsurance bill in the Senate on Wednesday night. I would have supported the MN-Care amendment and, upon its failure, voted against the bill. I see no public policy mandate or purpose in sending hundreds of millions of dollars to the insurance industry when there are few, if any, obligations that they take care of Minnesotans).

... The disappointment is the Trump budget, which reduced the GLRI (Great Lakes Restoration Initiative) funding from $300 million to zero, with an accompanying comment that announced that these cleanup projects supported by the GLRI were a state and local responsibility and not that of the federal government’s.