Dayton urges legislators to agree on a fix for rising health premiums
Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday urged legislative leaders to set aside ideological differences and work on a short-term fix to ease the sting of rising premiums next year for the roughly 120,000 Minnesotans who buy health care coverage through the state's individual market.
If legislators can agree on a plan by Nov. 1, Dayton said he would call a special session. He said the timing and location of a special session would be complicated, but signaled it would be best to call one after the election.
"In this emergency for some Minnesotans and their families, I am hopeful that DFL and Republican legislators will be able to set aside the politics of the Affordable Care Act, work together, and find a short-term solution for those in crisis," the governor said.
Thousands of Minnesotans who purchase coverage through the state-sponsored health care exchange learned earlier this month that they are facing premium increases of more than 50 percent. State regulators also implemented enrollment caps to avoid a collapse of the market where roughly 5 percent of state residents purchase health insurance coverage.
Read more: http://www.startribune.com/dayton-urges-legislators-to-fix-crisis-over-rising-individual-health-plan-premiums/397930581/