DFL State Senator Rob Kupec of Moorhead explains his vote with Austin Erickson
UPDATE – The Minnesota House and Senate passed a bill to remove undocumented adults from taxpayer-funded MinnesotaCare health care.
The move was agreed to in budget negotiations between Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders before the special session began.
The bill was approved in the Senate by four DFLers: State Senator Rob Kupec of Moorhead, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy of St. Paul, Senate Pro Tempore Ann Rest of New Hope and State Senator Grant Hauschild of Hermantown.
“It was a very difficult vote for me, but at a time when we are making cuts to people with disabilities, people who are in nursing homes,” said Kupec. “Even though it’s not a huge financial savings, it feels like a time to make sure we’re spreading those cuts around everybody.”
Kupec was asked if he believes illegal immigrants deserve health care.
“Our health care system is a mess, and I think everybody deserves health care and I think we need to find a way to get our healthcare system for everybody and take care of everybody,” Kupec explained.
Kupec says he met with advocates for undocumented people before he made his vote.
“By not giving them health care, it is more of a burden upon our hospitals,” said Kupec. “Our hospitals have told us this. They are living here, they are in Minnesota, they get hurt and they get injured and show up at hospitals.”
“Hospitals spend around $450 million a year across the state basically in charity care and this would help alleviate that. Is that a burden on the state taxpayer? Sure it is, and that’s probably why I had my vote today.”
If the legislation wasn’t passed by the Senate, a bill funding the state’s Department of Health would not have been able to be voted on in the upper chamber.
Republicans like State Senator Jordan Rasmusson of Fergus Falls say the state has become a magnet for undocumented immigrants.
“Unlike other health care programs that receive federal matching dollars, Minnesota must cover 100 percent of the costs of this taxpayer benefit to illegal immigrants,” Rasmusson said.
The bill now heads to Walz’s desk.
(Original story below)
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota House voted to remove undocumented adult immigrants from being eligible for taxpayer-funded MinnesotaCare during its special session.
In a 68 to 65 vote that fell mostly along party lines, Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park was the only DFLer voting in favor of the legislation.
The state Senate is expected to follow suit.
During the past legislative session, the DFL-controlled legislature approved program eligibility for illegal adult immigrants.
But during subsequent budget negotiations between Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders, Republicans agreed to approving a budget, so long as non-U.S. citizens were removed from the state-subsidized health care plan.
Children will still be covered under the plan.
DFL State Representative Jamie Long of Minneapolis says many Minnesotans like a woman he knows who is undocumented and has two children who are American citizens are worried.
“She has chronic pain and high blood pressure. Her body is tired. MinnesotaCare is the only way she’s getting the care she needs to keep going. This bill is cruel. It’s inhuman. It’ll cost real, human, Minnesotan lives,” Long said during debate.
Republicans say Minnesotans shouldn’t have to pay for non-citizens’ health care.
“Love your neighbor as yourself. We’ve heard that quite often. I agree with that 100 percent. You personally love your neighbors, but it’s not the government’s job,” Republican State Representative Jeff Backer of Browns Valley said on the House floor.
In the Senate, several bills including ones on higher education, energy, environment and natural resources and jobs and labor have passed.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson of East Grand Forks says he’s concerned many of these bills were agreed to behind closed doors.
Minnesotans, they deserve a full day of debate. They deserve to look at the bills and see what’s in them. We haven’t seen them much in the last couple of weeks. They’ve been in their conference committees and committees themselves,” Johnson explained.
Lawmakers have until 7:00 Tuesday morning to finish. If a budget isn’t passed by July, the state could see a government shutdown.
