Bipartisan U.S. Senate health care compromise could restore funding for MinnesotaCare

[TexasTowelie]

Franken, Klobuchar laud agreement that could save MinnesotaCare $742M.

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan deal in the U.S. Senate could let Minnesota hold down insurance costs on the state exchange without sacrificing millions of dollars in federal funding for low-income health care.

Republican and Democratic members of the Senate health committee agreed Tuesday to legislation that would shore up the Affordable Care Act, secure another two years’ worth of federal subsidies to help consumers pay their insurance deductibles, and restore hundreds of millions of dollars to MinnesotaCare.

“The bill’s truly a compromise and no compromise is perfect. But we got a lot of good stuff in it and I’m very happy with it,” said U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

If Congress doesn’t act, MinnesotaCare could lose an estimated $742 million in federal funding over the next four years. MinnesotaCare is the state’s basic health program, and provides coverage to almost 100,000 Minnesotans in need.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/bipartisan-healthcare-deal-could-spare-minnesotacare-millions-in-cuts/451344863/