Senator John Marty

And that's why a logical health system, that's why a Minnesota health plan proposal has changed. its own decision-making authority and the legislature doesn't set the budgets for it. It would, well, the legislature has to approve the premium rates that they'd be charging, but the premium is based on ability to pay.

And that's why a logical health system, that's why a Minnesota health plan proposal has changed. its own decision-making authority and the legislature doesn't set the budgets for it. It would, well, the legislature has to approve the premium rates that they'd be charging, but the premium is based on ability to pay.

And basically what we would have is trying to have them in setting up the health policy for the state is... A logical way to do that might be we deliver health care in a public health manner. Every school should have a health care clinic. Every school have a health care clinic. We'd invest in the prevention efforts instead. Or we give grants to do this. We have this local public health grant.

And basically what we would have is trying to have them in setting up the health policy for the state is... A logical way to do that might be we deliver health care in a public health manner. Every school should have a health care clinic. Every school have a health care clinic. We'd invest in the prevention efforts instead. Or we give grants to do this. We have this local public health grant.

That's a great idea. But, you know, it's just kind of extra money. We're spending like one tenth of one percent of our health care dollars on prevention.

That's a great idea. But, you know, it's just kind of extra money. We're spending like one tenth of one percent of our health care dollars on prevention.

Maybe we ought to be spending 5% or 10%. No kidding. I don't know. But the only way to do it is a logical way. But that's the way we've come at this piecemeal. We have a shortage of providers in greater Minnesota. Oh, we have a $3 million program to provide more family practice practitioners in greater Minnesota. The number is made up there. I don't know exactly what it is.

Maybe we ought to be spending 5% or 10%. No kidding. I don't know. But the only way to do it is a logical way. But that's the way we've come at this piecemeal. We have a shortage of providers in greater Minnesota. Oh, we have a $3 million program to provide more family practice practitioners in greater Minnesota. The number is made up there. I don't know exactly what it is.

But we put a few million dollars in to get more practitioners. That's not going to get a lot of practitioners and we have shortages across the board and so on. So we need to have a logical system. Who's in charge of making sure we have enough health care providers? Nobody. University of Minnesota is in charge of providing. They do most of the doctors. We graduate in this state.

But we put a few million dollars in to get more practitioners. That's not going to get a lot of practitioners and we have shortages across the board and so on. So we need to have a logical system. Who's in charge of making sure we have enough health care providers? Nobody. University of Minnesota is in charge of providing. They do most of the doctors. We graduate in this state.

They're the vast majority or graduated through there. Is anybody making sure that they we provide if the need is for more general practitioners and less specialists?

They're the vast majority or graduated through there. Is anybody making sure that they we provide if the need is for more general practitioners and less specialists?

And they say in my pitches, do you want to tell med students? Do you want to tell them, oh, you've got to go into general practice? Well, a lot of them want to go into general practice, but they find out they're compensated more here. So they do that.

And they say in my pitches, do you want to tell med students? Do you want to tell them, oh, you've got to go into general practice? Well, a lot of them want to go into general practice, but they find out they're compensated more here. So they do that.

But we have nobody in charge of saying, you know, maybe if we've got a shortage of this kind of practitioners, like I used mental health earlier or general practice, maybe we should pay more for them. Maybe we should pay off their med school debts. Maybe we shouldn't have med school tuition for those incentivize, incentivize the threat or use the economy to do it.

But we have nobody in charge of saying, you know, maybe if we've got a shortage of this kind of practitioners, like I used mental health earlier or general practice, maybe we should pay more for them. Maybe we should pay off their med school debts. Maybe we shouldn't have med school tuition for those incentivize, incentivize the threat or use the economy to do it.

But nobody's in charge of making sure we have enough practitioners. Nobody's in charge of making sure we do public health and health departments. I've been fighting health department for years, trying to get commissioners to say we need more money, whether it's for sexually transmitted infections or whatever.

But nobody's in charge of making sure we have enough practitioners. Nobody's in charge of making sure we do public health and health departments. I've been fighting health department for years, trying to get commissioners to say we need more money, whether it's for sexually transmitted infections or whatever.

getting the health department commissioners to say it because they say, oh, no, we're not. And I asked several of them because I was chair of health committee at one point confirming the commissioners that were saying, you know, I want to know if you think there's a need for something, would you speak up? Oh, yes, I would. But no, they present their budget to the governor.

getting the health department commissioners to say it because they say, oh, no, we're not. And I asked several of them because I was chair of health committee at one point confirming the commissioners that were saying, you know, I want to know if you think there's a need for something, would you speak up? Oh, yes, I would. But no, they present their budget to the governor.