Rep. Betty McCollum

Rep. Betty McCollum

Rep. Betty McCollum says she won’t vote for a health care reform bill unless it fixes Medicare formulas that penalize Minnesota’s above-average health care system by imposing higher premiums. And she’s created a coalition of unlikely allies on the issue — Minnesota’s congressional delegates. The group has wildly divergent views on health care reform, but there’s one thing they all agree on: Minnesota shouldn’t get the shaft. Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken joined McCollum along with Reps. Tim Walz, John Kline, Erik Paulsen, Keith Ellison, Collin Peterson and James Oberstar, in penning a letter to President Barack Obama.

“All Americans pay equally into Medicare, yet beneficiaries in Minnesota are severely disadvantaged in the essential benefits they receive when compared to citizens in other states, such as Florida, New York, or California,” the group wrote. “Why are Minnesotans paying higher premiums for prescription drugs, dental, vision and hearing services while residents of other states receive those benefits free of any additional cost?”

McCollum said she wouldn’t vote for a bill that didn’t fix the inequity.

“I cannot in good conscience vote for a health care reform bill that further harms Minnesotans who pay equally into Medicare. These inequities should not be extended into a public insurance plan if our goal is better health care outcomes,” Congresswoman McCollum said in a statement Wednesday.

Full text of the delegation’s letter (pdf):

July 22, 2009
Dear President Obama:

As your Administration advocates for health care reform legislation moving forward in Congress, we want to make you aware that Minnesota is a state in which the quality of care exceeds the national average and per-beneficiary fee-for-service Medicare costs are substantially lower than the national average. Our “low-cost, high-quality” state is setting the national standard for Medicare, yet we are penalized by the current geographic payment inequities in the Medicare reimbursement formula. This inequity is no longer tolerable and we urge you to work with us to fix this problem in any health care reform legislation voted on in Congress.

All Americans pay equally into Medicare, yet beneficiaries in Minnesota are severely disadvantaged in the essential benefits they receive when compared to citizens in other states, such as Florida, New York, or California. Why are Minnesotans paying higher premiums for prescription drugs, dental, vision and hearing services while residents of other states receive those benefits free of any additional cost? This flawed Medicare formula continues to penalize Minnesota taxpayers, patients, providers, hospitals, counties, and the entire health care sector that provides high- quality, low-cost care.

Furthermore, any public insurance option that is based on Medicare’s current reimbursement formula would only further penalize Minnesota and undermine the very success our state has attained in delivering efficient, quality care. Please know that we view any health care reform legislation that perpetuates or extends the current inequity in Medicare as harming Minnesota’s health care system which is obviously unacceptable to us and our constituents.

Mr. President, we must ensure that any health care reform legislation includes benefits for our constituents and the state of Minnesota. We look forward to working with you in the upcoming weeks to find a solution to this important issue.

Sincerely,