Until 8 p.m. includes Twin Cities area

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

(AP)  Health ought to be its own reward, but Senate
Democrats want to give publicly insured patients another incentive
to follow their doctor's orders - $20 gift cards.
    

  The cards, which patients could use for purchases at various
stores, are part of a mammoth health spending bill slated for a
Senate vote Thursday.

      Sen. Linda Berglin, who heads the Senate health budget panel, is
betting that it will pay off for the state to sink $1 million into
incentives for diabetics who control their blood sugar and smokers
who quit. She said patients play a part in improving the quality of
health care.

      "It's not a huge amount of money but I think it'll have a lot
of impact," said Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis. "These quality
guidelines are not reached simply by the doctor. There has to be
the patient involved in it too."

      State leaders have been searching for ways to improve health
care. That search led Gov. Tim Pawlenty to establish the QCare
program last year - offering bonuses to health plans and providers
that score well on treating costly chronic conditions like diabetes
and heart disease.

      State leaders hope the quest for quality will also lead them to
savings. The Republican governor envisioned QCare saving the state
more than $150 million annually within a few years.

      Berglin said giving out cards that patients could redeem at
Target and other stores might bring the state closer to achieving
the QCare goals. Her proposal would apply to patients covered by
subsidized programs including the MinnesotaCare plan for the
working poor.

      House and Senate Democrats have different approaches to
Minnesota's health care programs. The Senate bill focuses on the
uninsured and includes a major outreach campaign targeting a
majority of uninsured who already qualify for state programs.

      A House DFL plan presented Wednesday pairs broader children's
coverage with efforts to improve care and bring costs down. A major
pillar of the bill would create a "medical home," a nurse or
doctor who would coordinate a patient's care from multiple
providers.

      Both chambers are shooting for universal health coverage by
2010, but would let task forces come up with the specifics later
this year.


Gallery

Health

Politics and Government News

Martiga Lohn

Author

Health ought to be its own reward, but Senate
Democrats want to give publicly insured patients another incentive
to follow their doctor's orders - $20 gift cards.


Minn. search for quality health care leads to ... gift cards

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox