The Minnesota Senate has voted to override Gov. Pawlenty’s veto of a modified GAMC program, and the bill moves again to the House. While the bill passed with votes on both sides of the aisle, some members are now withdrawing their support. A 125 to 9 vote to approve this bill now appears to be three votes shy becoming law.

Please call your representative today to make sure they are supporting the GAMC bill. We expect a vote to come very soon, so please call now. As we’ve said before, it is not a perfect solution, but it protects patients and hospitals, and allows the system to be reformed, not scrapped.

At MHAM, we are saddened to see representatives who have publicly expressed how necessary this bill is to their communities turn around and drop their support at the very moment that it matters.

Ask your representative how they voted on HF 2680 and if they plan to support the override. If they are unwilling to support an override, ask that they work with the Governor to find a workable solution.

A few points to remember:

• This fix is cheaper per person than using MinnesotaCare.
• Uncompensated care acts as tax on everyone with health insurance in the form of higher rates.
• In any given year, 70,000 to 80,000 Minnesotans will rely on GAMC.
• Hospitals and advocates agree that MinnesotaCare is not likely to work for GAMC patients who require infrequent but emergency care.
• GAMC is a necessary part of our State’s safety net. This bill will let us improve on it in coming years.

Thank you for your support! We expect this to come to a vote early next week, possibly on Monday.