DNC to Tim Pawlenty: Health Care Reform is No Joking Matter

For Immediate Release
Date: July 24, 2009

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DNC to Tim Pawlenty: Health Care Reform is No Joking Matter

Pawlenty, Who as Minnesota Governor Rarely Saw a Heath Care Program he Didn't Want to Cut, Thinks Making Health Care More Affordable and Accessible is a Joke

See Pawlenty Call Health Reform a "Joke" Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXdpp0uOXs
Washington -- Appearing on Fox News yesterday, Tim Pawlenty, who as Governor of Minnesota has slashed health care for thousands of vulnerable Minnesota families, the poor, children, seniors and "the sickest among us," called the President’s health insurance reform proposals“quite a joke.” Please see below for a statement from DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan:

"Tim Pawlenty, who has rarely seen a health care program he didn't want to cut, thinks that health insurance reform is a "joke" - but the only "joke" here is Tim Pawlenty and a Republican Party which thinks it's better to play politics and obstruct reform when millions of American families are struggling with skyrocketing health insurance costs. The truth is, as President Obama is working tirelessly to fix the broken health care system, Republicans like Tim Pawlenty would rather go on national television to chastize progress while offering no ideas of their own. And that's no laughing matter."

PAWLENTY CUT HEALTH CARE FOR THOUSANDS OF MINNESOTANS

2009: Pawlenty Cut A Health Care Program That Serves 30,000-35,000 Childless Adults Near Or Below The Poverty Line—Most With Chronic Or Mental Illness. “Already, Pawlenty wiped out millions of dollars in approved spending through line-item vetoes. None was as deep as the $381 million cut to the General Assistance Medical Care program in the second year of the two-year budget, essentially ending the program beginning in mid-2010. The program serves 30,000 to 35,000 childless adults near or below the poverty line, most with chronic or mental illness. Some of them could qualify for a premium-based state insurance program. But hospitals worry they will feel the brunt of the cut because the level of uncompensated care could rise. They are already warning they will eliminate services and lay off staff to absorb the losses.” [AP, 5/18/09]

Ø Pawlenty Unilaterally Cut Health Care Services By $236 Million In 2009, Health Care Services For The Poor Were A Familiar Target For Pawlenty. In June 2009, the Star Tribune reported that “health care services for poor Minnesotans have been a familiar target in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's austerity exercises over the years, and they found themselves under the scalpel again [on June 16, 2009]. On [June 16], Pawlenty said health and human services will come in for $236 million in additional cuts as part of his unallotment strategy.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/17/09]

Ø Pawlenty Eliminated Health Care Program For The Poor Sooner Than Expected And Cut Hours For Personal Care Attendants. In June 2009, Gov. Tim Pawlenty eliminated a health care program for the poor, General Assistance Medical Care, six weeks sooner than originally expected in order to save $15 million. Pawlenty also reduced the number of hours for personal care attendants, “who serve fragile and disabled people, from a maximum of 310 hours to 275 hours per month,” reported the Star Tribune. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/17/09]

Ø “Hospitals That Serve The Poor…Will Be Disproportionately Affected” By Pawlenty’s Unilateral Budget Cuts To Health Care. The Star Tribune reported that “hospitals that serve the poor, such as Hennepin County Medical Center, will be disproportionately affected. HCMC will be hard hit by additional rate cuts for nonprimary care -- which includes emergency room, laboratory and radiology services -- as well as a temporary suspension of additional payments for dental care in Medical Assistance, said Mike Harristhal, vice president for public policy. It will also lose money when GAMC disappears. All in all, HCMC expects an additional loss of $6.3 million over the two years. HCMC will review services to see what can be cut, consolidated or outsourced. The reduction ‘isn't something we can accommodate without reducing the breadth or depth of our services,’ Harristhal said.” [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/17/09]

Ø Pawlenty’s Unilateral Budget Cuts To Health Care Would Cause Some Nursing Homes To Close, “Reduce Access To Seniors” And Limit Personal Care For Seniors. “With more than a quarter of nursing homes in financial jeopardy, the withdrawal of rate increases may force some to close and reduce access for seniors. Rate adjustments to compensate for inflation already had been eliminated for 2011, but Pawlenty pushed the schedule up one year. Similarly, the state budget already capped personal care aides, or PCAs, at no more than 310 hours of work per month. Pawlenty would cut that to 275 hours. The cap could eliminate some fraudulent billing to the state — some PCAs claimed more than 24 hours of work in a day — but also push some quality aides out of the business. Seniors needing round-the-clock care may struggle to find help and end up in expensive nursing homes sooner than planned.” [Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 6/16/09]

Ø Human Services Commissioner: The Health Care Program Pawlenty Cut Served “The Poorest And Sickest Amongst Us.” “Governor Tim Pawlenty followed through on his pledge to rein in state spending with or without the legislature. He used a line-item veto to surgically remove $381 million from a health plan for low income adults without children. The cuts to General Assistance Medical Care, or G.A.M.C., will take effect in July of 2010, according to Human Services Commissioner Cal Ludeman, and strip eligibility from 30,000 persons. He told lawmakers Friday those persons must earn less than $7,800 per year to qualify for the program. ‘Can you give me the general profile of the average client in this program,’ House Speaker Margaret Kelliher asked. ‘Madame Speaker,’ Ludeman answered, ‘As it's often described these are the poorest and sickest amongst us.’ He explaining many of them have health complications as the result of chronic illnesses and chemical dependency. Hospital executives and medical staff throughout the state reacted sharply to the news Friday, especially those from the large urban "safety net" trauma centers. Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis and Regions Hospital in Saint Paul both stand to lose tens of millions of dollars because they see more of those patients. ‘A cut of that degree, which may translate into $40 million a year, would seriously alter the landscape of our ability to provide services to the disadvantaged, vulnerable and poor,’ HCMC's medical director Dr. Michael Belzer told KARE Friday.” [KARE, 5/16/09]

Ø Minnesota Hospital Association: Pawlenty’s Cut To GAMC “Would Likely Eliminate Over 7,500 Jobs,” Mark Krinkie of the Minnesota Hospital Association testified to the Minnesota legislature that Gov. Tim Pawlenty cuts to the GAMC program “would likely eliminate over 7,500 jobs in the state's hospital system,” reported the Political in Minnesota blog. [Politics In Minnesota blog, 5/21/09]

Ø Minnesota Medical Association President: Pawlenty’s Health Care Cuts “Ultimately Would Increase Health Care Costs and Premiums For Minnesota Businesses And Individuals.” Noel Peterson, the president of the Minnesota Medical Association penned an op-ed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in which he wrote, “But that reform-minded governor was far less visible in 2009. Pressed by a historic state budget deficit, [Pawlenty] retreated from the bipartisan approach that served him well in 2008 and instead proposed massive health care cuts that would save the state government money in the short term, but ultimately would increase health care costs and premiums for Minnesota businesses and individuals…[Pawlenty’s] line-item veto of General Assistance Medical Care eliminates coverage for the poorest of the poor adults, many of whom often suffer from chronic diseases and mental illness. Eliminating insurance for these Minnesotans will result in no coverage for preventive services and will increase care provided at hospital emergency departments, where care is most expensive…I hope he continues down the reform path he endorsed in 2008, rather than implementing cuts that will harm the health of Minnesotans, weaken the capacity of Minnesota's health care system and further increase health care costs.” [Noel R. Peterson, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/7/09]

Ø Star Tribune Editorial: Pawlenty’s Elimination Of Health Care Program For Low Income Adults Merely Shifted Health Care “Costs Off Of The State’s Ledger And Onto Others – Mostly Those Of Privately Insured People.” “Beginning on or about April 1, the veto and unallotment will stop state payment for health care services obtained by some 32,000 uninsured adults with annual incomes of less than $8,000 a year. About three-fourths of people served by the program are chemically dependent, mentally ill or both. Some are poor because serious illness cost them their jobs…But simply eliminating GAMC does not remove all of the costs of care. It just moves those costs off of the state's ledger and onto others -- mostly those of privately insured people -- and inflates them even more rapidly, as emergency rooms become the only source of care for the GAMC population. The toll in human suffering will increase if the poor are denied access to medication and clinical care. Hospitals say they will cut back on some high-cost services to compensate for lost GAMC revenue. That would mean a loss of medical infrastructure for entire communities.” [Editorial, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/11/09]

2009: Pawlenty Cut Funding For Personal Care Services For As Many As 1,600 Disabled Minnesotans. In 2009, Minnesota Public Radio reported that “Gov. Pawlenty signed a Health and Human Services budget bill that will cut funding for personal care attendants. Estimates say as many as 1,600 disabled people will lose PCA services altogether. Another 7,000 people…could lose hours.” [Minnesota Public Radio, 6/4/09]

2009: Pawlenty Proposed $1.3 Billion Cut In Health & Human Services Funding, Would Cut 113,000 Minnesotans From State Health Care Plan. Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed cutting $1.3 billion from Minnesota’s health and human services budget, which “would make an estimated 113,000 Minnesotans ineligible for subsidized health care starting in January 2011,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 4/27/09]

Ø “Pawlenty Has Proposed Cutting Health Insurance Coverage For More Than 100,000 Minnesotans.” The Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported that “Pawlenty has proposed cutting health insurance coverage for more than 100,000 Minnesotans.” The report noted that DFL leaders were negotiating with the governor’s office to try to reduce Pawlenty’s proposed cuts to health and human services funding. [Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 5/7/09]

Ø Pawlenty Proposed Cutting The Health Care Access Fund For Minnesota. Gov. Tim Pawlenty wrote a letter to House and Senate conferees as they sat down to hammer our differences in the 2010-2011 budget. Pawlenty wrote that one of his main disagreements with the legislature was over the Health Care Access Fund. Pawlenty proposed cutting the fund as well as the 2 percent tax on health care providers that provides the funding. The fund, according to the Bemidji Pioneer, “carries a surplus and is used primarily in MinnesotaCare to provide subsidized health care to working poor.” The report noted that “House and Senate DFLers would keep that fund for health care, saying that Pawlenty’s proposal would cut at least 84,000 people from MinnesotaCare.” [Bemidji Pioneer, 5/3/09]

Ø Minnesota Hospital Association Opposed Pawlenty’s Proposed Cuts To Health Care. “Totaling $857 million, the cuts would seriously damage the state’s already strained and fragile health care system, diminish access to care and jeopardize health care infrastructure, according to Flaig and the Minnesota Hospital Association,” reported the Alexandria Echo Press. The main concerns include Pawlenty’s plan to “completely eliminate all adults from the MinnesotaCare program” and eliminate the Health Care Access Fund. [Alexandria Echo Press, 4/15/09]

Ø International Falls Daily Journal Editorial: Pawlenty Is Wrong To Cut $764 Million In Hospital Funding & Remove 93,000 Minnesotans From State Health Programs. On April 24, 2009, the International Falls Daily Journal editorialized that “among the last places that should see cuts to funding are hospitals...but that’s just what Gov. Tim Pawlenty has in mind with his health care proposal…Losing more jobs and putting Minnesotan’s health into jeopardy is not the way to solve the budge deficit and will only make the state’s financial troubles more sever.” The editorial notes that “Under Pawlenty’s plan to eliminate $764 million in state funding for hospitals over the next two years, critical care options for patients would be eliminated, jobs would be cut and some hospitals would be faced with closure. In addition, hospital officials say the governor’s plan to remove 93,000 Minnesotans from state-subsidized health programs would force them to cut costs to care for more uninsured patients. Minnesota patients suffering from diabetes, mental illness and other diseases will receive less care under Pawlenty’s plan.” [Editorial, International Falls Daily Journal, 4/24/09]

Ø Children’s Hospitals Of Minnesota Criticized Pawlenty’s Proposal To Cut $36 Million From Their Budget, Would Have “Severe Long-Term Impacts On Core Services And On Quality Of Care.” Dr. Alan L. Goldbloom, president and CEO of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota criticized Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposed cuts to the budget of the organization in 2009. According to the Minnesota Post, Pawlenty’s “Medicaid budget proposal before the Legislature would have taken a devastating $36 million from our budget for the 2010-11 biennium (including a $6.6 immediate unallotment last December).” Goldbloom said, “A cut on the scale of $36 million, however, would not be 'reasonable' at all. It would represent an extreme, disproportionate impact on our hospitals and the children we treat, who come from every corner of the state. Put bluntly, it would be terribly unfair to sick children, who unfortunately don’t have much political clout…We would never turn our backs on sick children. But without question, a cut on the level previously proposed by the governor would have severe long-term impacts on core services and on quality of care. Our patients and their families would feel it, and not just the low-income population because we treat all children alike, regardless of insurance coverage.” [Minnesota Post, 6/9/09]

Ø Northfield News (Minnesota): Hospitals Will Have Difficult Decisions To Make If [Pawlenty] Has His Way On Health Funding.” The Northfield News (Minnesota) reported that “area hospitals will have difficult decisions to make if the governor has his way on health funding.” Locally, the report noted that “Rice County hospital officials said they would lose more than $6 million in state funding over the next two years under Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposal on how to overcome a $4.6 billion deficit in 2010 and 2011.”[Northfield News (Minnesota), 4/28/09]

Ø Pawlenty Told Hospitals To Stop Complaining About His Proposed Budget Cuts For Health And Human Services. Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget proposal for 2010-2011 included a $790 million budget cut for Minnesota’s health and human services budget. The cuts would reduce funding for hospitals and cut reimbursement payments from the state to hospitals when the hospitals care for the uninsured. In a news conference, “Pawlenty suggested that health care providers come up with an alternative to the cuts he proposed if they can't live with them,” reported the St. Cloud Times. Pawlenty said, “Instead of carping and complaining, perhaps they should put some ideas on the table.” [St. Cloud Times (MN), 5/11/09]

Ø Rochester Post-Bulletin Editorial: Pawlenty’s Hospital Budget Cuts Would Result In Lay-Offs, Rising Costs For Consumers, & Refusal Of Medicare Patients. The Rochester Post-Bulletin editorialized that “Gov. Pawlenty seems to believe that the best way to deal with the rising cost of medical care is to slash hundreds of millions of dollars in state funding to hospitals and to cut thousands of people off the state medical programs that help pay their bills…we're fairly certain that these spending cuts would simply cause hospitals to lay off employees, refuse to accept new Medicare patients and charge paying customers even more to make up for the loss in state revenue.” The editorial noted that “simply telling Minnesota's hospitals to ‘tighten their belts’ isn't an answer -- unless your top priority is to balance the state's books while avoiding anything that might be called a tax increase.” [Editorial, Post-Bulletin (Rochester, MN), 4/28/09]

Ø Northfield News Editorial: Pawlenty’s Plan To Cut Health Care Funding “Looks In The Wrong Direction,” Will Result In Higher Medical Bills For Minnesotans. The Northfield News editorialized that “Pawlenty’s proposed cuts [to healthcare] come at a time when bad debt at hospitals, Northfield’s included, is increasing…Hospitals won’t carry the burden of caring for patients who can’t pay for it for long. No business could. Those costs, which under Pawlenty’s plan can only continue to grow, will get passed on to the rest of us in the form of higher medical bills. Hospitals may also eliminate services that lose money or restrict access.” The editorial concluded that “Pawlenty’s plan looks in the wrong direction.”[Editorial, Northfield News (MN), 5/1/09]