A Day at The Capitol

I introduced three more bills during my third and final public hearing of the day! HF 2517 provides $44,000 to fund the important work of the Minnesota Palliative Care Advisory Council, a group of professionals who work to improve the quality and delivery of patient-centered care. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, palliative care is a form of health care that focuses on treating the person as well as the disease. It’s intended to relieve the pain, symptoms, and stress that people experience when they have a serious illness and to provide an extra layer of support to the patient and their family.  

If you’re not familiar with palliative care or thought it referred to something else, you’re not alone! Our state’s laws don’t accurately define palliative care, and that’s led to some misunderstandings and difficulty accessing care. HF 3148, the second bill I presented during the hearing, would correct the definition so more Minnesotans with serious illnesses can receive palliative care. 

HF 3147, the third bill I presented to the Health Finance and Policy Committee on Wednesday, would expand access to dental care. Medicaid provides comprehensive dental benefits for children and pregnant Minnesotans, but coverage for other adults is limited. As a result, a large percentage of adult Medicaid members don’t receive routine dental care. This can lead to health impacts for individuals and greater costs for the broader health care system. Since adults who receive Medicaid are more likely to be from BIPOC communities, this has implications for racial justice as well.  

Access to dental care shouldn’t be limited by the insurance card that you carry. My bill would help more Minnesotans get the care they need by expanding dental coverage for non-pregnant adults.  

This content was originally published here.

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