MINNEAPOLIS, February, 12, 2008 - The Minnesota Legislature was back at work Tuesday with the start of the 2008 session, but lawmakers aren’t expected to tackle health care right out of the gate.

With the session required to end by May 19th, lawmakers are hoping to first address transportation funding and a ballot measure that asks voters to raise the sales tax for the environment and arts programs.

The word from insiders is that lawmakers hope to pass health care reform this year but the battles will likely occur later in the session. At that time, the task will be for lawmakers to pass a reform bill that synthesizes recommendations from reform work groups appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the Legislature.

However, that’s not to say health care reform was completely absent from the session’s start. On Monday, a group of DFL lawmakers put forward a single-payer reform bill called the Minnesota Health Plan. The bill stands in stark contrast to the market-based reforms recommended by the MMA, the Health Care Transformation Task Force, and the Legislative Commission on Health Care Access.

The main architect of the Minnesota Health Plan, Sen. John Marty DFL- Roseville, said he knows that he will have to battle insurers, the governor, and fellow lawmakers who oppose more government involvement in health care. But he believes a publicly funded system delivered privately would result in universal coverage and less administrative waste.

When the MMA’s reform task force considered whether to endorse a single-payer model in 2004, the majority of task force members supported a private, competitive model primarily because of its superior ability to promote innovations and advancements, according to a Physician’s Plan for a Healthy Minnesota.

The MMA’s top three legislative priorities this session are passing health care reform, protecting the integrity of the Health Care Access Fund, and passing legislation requiring insurers to reimburse for interpreter services.