The recent Presidential debates did not include significant discussion of health policy. It is disappointing not to see this topic on the forefront of the national agenda. Nonetheless the topic is very alive at the state level, especially in Minnesota.
On Sept. 23 Minnesota Health Basics, whose mission is to encourage fact-based health policy development, sponsored a seminar designed to educate state legislators and candidates for the legislature on some of the fundamentals of health policy.
The seminar was led by Jack Militello and Dan McLaughlin, with the able assistance of Tom Horner and Amanda Horner from Minnesota Health Basics.
More than 30 present and future legislators attended the two-hour session. The seminar addressed many of the current healthcare issues, such as the growing costs of healthcare, challenges in the health insurance market, and the growing challenge of opioid addiction. In true Minnesota style we had some spirited but respectful debates and discussions. Attendees felt they learned quite a bit and are now better able to answer health policy questions for their constituents as they door-knock their way around their districts this fall.
The seminar confirmed for us that health policy issues are very important to Minnesotans and that our legislators will be actively working on them.
To learn more about the emerging trends in health care consider attending The Executive Conference on the Future of Health Care on Nov. 4 at the University of St. Thomas.
About the Author: Dan McLaughlin is Director of the Center for Health and Medical Affairs at the University of St. Thomas. He also teaches within several graduate degree programs with in the Opus College of Business, Executive Education programs and is on the planning committee for The Executive Conference on the Future of Health Care.
