Minn. Dems aim for federal health care dollars

Three House DFLers unveiled a plan Wednesday to move the state quickly into compliance with the new federal health care law. But Gov. Pawlenty is critical of the suggestion.

Under that law, Minnesota and 10 other states are eligible for an early expansion of Medicaid coverage to low-income adults without children. The state could gain $1 billion in federal money over three years if it spends the same amount.

Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, chairman of the House Health Care and Human Services Finance Division, said the state match could come from the Health Care Access Fund.

"If we don't participate in this program then that money, the federal money, the billion dollars in federal money, will go to the other 10 states that are allowed to do this," Huntley said. "It won't be spent here."

Gov. Pawlenty's spokesman Brian McClung responded that the DFL plan to tap the Health Care Access fund for that money won't work, because the fund already has a projected deficit.

"That's like asking somebody to transfer money from their checking account to their savings account when they've already overdrawn on their checking account. There's no money to transfer."