MHA GAMC work group to form

The Minnesota House of Representatives Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee will be traveling to 10 hospitals throughout Minnesota beginning Monday for roundtable discussions about the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program.

The committee will ask hospital and community leaders to identify strategies that can be used to address the unique needs of the community's GAMC population. The discussions will be the first step for the committee in developing a strategy to meet the needs of Minnesotans receiving care through the GAMC program.

In the final days of the 2009 legislative session, Gov. Tim Pawlenty line-item vetoed the funding for the GAMC program for the second year of the biennium. During the recent unallotment process, the governor announced the state would begin the disenrollment process for Minnesotans covered by GAMC as early as March 1, 2010.

The Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) has been working with the House to set up the roundtable discussions. Hospitals are taking a lead role by acting as convener, hosting the meetings, inviting participants and co-chairing the discussions with committee chair Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis).

Roundtable meeting schedule:

Monday, June 29
-- 9 a.m., Mercy Hospital, Coon Rapids
-- 3:30 p.m., North Memorial Medical Center, Robbinsdale

Tuesday, June 30
-- 9 a.m., Regions Hospital, St. Paul

Wednesday, July 1
-- 11 a.m., St. Mary's Regional Health Center, Detroit Lakes
-- 3:30 p.m., Northwest Medical Center, Thief River Falls

Thursday, July 2
-- 10 a.m., North Country Health Services, Bemidji
-- 2 p.m., St. Joseph's Medical Center, Brainerd

Friday, July 3
-- 10 a.m., Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis

Monday, July 6
-- 10 a.m., Cambridge Medical Center
-- 2 p.m., Community Memorial Hospital, Cloquet (tentative)

In addition to these legislative meetings, MHA will host meetings for members to discuss proposals that hospitals could bring forward to the Legislature in our efforts to restore health care coverage for the 35,000 individuals currently enrolled in the GAMC program. To date, two such meetings have been scheduled. Those meetings will take place from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at MHA on both Wednesday, July 22 and Tuesday, Aug. 25. Meeting details to follow.

For more information, contact MHA governmental affairs staff members Susan Stout at (651) 603-3526 or Mary Krinkie at (651) 659-1465.