WASHINGTON, D.C. -Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) delivered his second speech on the Senate floor Tuesday on the issue of Health Care, and New Ulm figured prominently in his remarks.
As the Senate prepares to bring a health care reform bill to the floor, Franken invoked Minnesota's leadership on the issue, citing programs at Duluth St. Mary's Hospital and the City of New Ulm as examples of putting patients ahead of profits.
"Consider an innovative program I've seen in my home state: the Cardiac Care Program at Duluth St Mary's Hospital," said Franken. "They aggressively manage patients with heart disease by helping people make lifestyle changes and making sure people get the follow-up attention they need. As a result, they reduced hospitalizations by 80 percent and saved $1 million in one year.
"But because the current system doesn't incentivize value, Duluth St. Mary's received no reward for these cost-savings. In fact, a hospital that lets its cardiac care patients go unchecked until they need another procedure gets paid a lot for performing that procedure, even though their patients are less healthy.
"Under the current Medicare reimbursement system, the good care gets punished, and the less effective, more expensive care gets rewarded. We're not providing health care in this country; we're providing sick care.
"Today, Minnesota spends $1.7 billion per year on hospital costs for heart disease. But the residents of New Ulm, Minnesota, have decided that they're not going to contribute to those statistics any more. New Ulm is a beautiful town in the heart of the Minnesota River Valley, about 90 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. The town is partnering with Allina Hospitals and Clinics and has made a commitment to reduce heart attacks by 25 percent over the next 10 years. To do this, the residents of New Ulm are working to bring down their high blood pressure and cholesterol, manage their diabetes, stop smoking and start exercising. - They've got community cooking classes, workplace wellness initiatives and free health screenings. I visited New Ulm during the August break to see what these folks are doing, how determined they are to make changes in their lifestyles. - This dedication to prevention and wellness will keep individuals in New Ulm living longer, healthier lives. It will also save the health care system about $10 million over the next ten years. When it comes to wellness, self-interest and the national interest are aligned."
Franken also shared the stories he's heard from Minnesotans struggling with the cost and availability of health insurance.
"When I travel through Minnesota," said Sen. Franken. "There is no issue I hear more about than health care. Minnesotans stop me everywhere I go to tell me their stories. I felt it was important to bring their words and their concerns to the floor of the Senate." "Right now, if you've been sick, insurance companies can refuse to cover you or charge you exorbitant premiums. As an older woman told me at the State Fair this summer, 'At my age, everything is pre-existing.'__
"...Right now, if you're a woman who has had a C-section, or you've been a survivor of domestic violence, health insurance companies can deny you coverage. Because having had a C-section or being the survivor of domestic violence is considered by some insurance companies to be a pre-existing condition. Isn't that amazing!? Is this the kind of country we want to be?"