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Testimony and Statements
April 22 -- more than 100 Minnesota hospital representatives traveled to the Capitol to repeat their message that hospitals will have to eliminate some patient services if Gov. Tim Pawlenty and lawmakers approve broad budget cuts.
Among those who testified were:
- Don Olbernolte: [PDF]
- Kathy Vesperman: [PDF]
- Craig Broman, president, St. Cloud Hospital; [PDF]
- Sue Klabo, CEO, Mahnomen Health Center; [PDF]
- Michael Belzer, M.D., Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis; [PDF]
- Jim Haddican, CFO of Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare of St. Paul; and
- Mark Eustis, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis
April 21 -- Lorry Massa, MHA president, presents before the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division
on H.F. 1362, the Omnibus Health and Human Services Finance Bill: [PDF]
March 24 -- Lorry Massa, MHA president, presents before the Senate Health and Human Services Budget Division on the governor's revised budget proposal recommendations. The governor calls for additional cuts of $172 million by scaling back the GAMC program. This amount, in addition to the estimated $691.5 million outlined in the governor's earlier budget proposal, contribute to lost payments to Minnesota's hospitals: [PDF]
March 5 -- Lorry Massa, MHA president, presents before the House Capital Investment Finance Division on the problems nonprofit hospitals are having trying to access capital: [PDF].
Feb. 26 -- Brock Nelson,CEO of Regions Hospital, St. Paul, discusses the impact the governor's proposal will have on Regions at a St. Paul Town Hall meeting: [PDF].
Feb. 24 -- Lynn
Abrahamsen, CEO of Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, shares her views of the governor's budget recommendations at a Town Hall meeting before the Minneapolis Park Board: [PDF]
Feb. 20 -- The following
hospital administrators testified before the Senate Health and
Human Services Budget division on the impact the governor's proposed
budget would have on their hospital:
- Rachelle Schultz, CEO, Winona Health: [PDF];
- William Flaig, CEO, Douglas County
Hospital, Alexandria: [PDF]
- Stephen Waldhoff, chief administratove officer, Albert Lea
Medical Center - Mayo Health System: [PDF]
Feb. 18 -- Lawrence
Massa, president of Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA), testifies
before the Senate Health and Human Services Budget Division and shares
an analysis that MHA has completed on the impact of the governor's
budget to the hospital community: [PDF]
Feb. 10 --
Representatives of the hospital community were invited to testify at
the Minnesota Capitol Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009 about the financial
situation Minnesota's hospitals face during today's economic downturn.
In particular, participants explained how Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed
budget cuts to hospitals would cripple the care hospitals give to their
communities, and how the reductions would force staffing cuts.
The three-hour hearing included both the Minnesota House Health and
Human Services Finance Committee and the Minnesota House Health Policy
Committee.
The following MHA members spoke on behalf of all of the state's
hospitals:
- Lawrence Massa, president, Minnesota Hospital Association,
St. Paul;
- Steven Perkins, trustee, Sanford Luverne Hospital;
- Debra Boardman, president and CEO, Riverview Healthcare,
Crookston;
- Bert Norman, CFO, Essentia, representing St. Mary's Medical
Center, Duluth and St. Joseph's Medical Center, Brainerd;
- David Wessner, CEO, Park Nicollet Health Services,
Minneapolis;
- Kevin Croston, M.D., medical director for trauma services,
North Memorial Medical Center, Robbinsdale and chair of the Minnesota
Statewide Trauma Advisory Council;
- James Davis, vice president of operations and Greg
Klugherz, CFO, CentraCare Health System, St. Cloud;
- Lynn Abrahamsen, administrator, and Michael Belzer, chief
medical officer, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis; and
- Mary Braddock, M.D., director of child health advocacy and
policy, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.
These individuals testified separately in the Senate:
- Catherine Barr, CEO, Bethesda Hospital of St. Paul; and
- Gordon Alexander, president, of University of Minnesota
Medical Center, Fairview, Minneapolis.
Posted here is the testimony by some of the members:
Lawrence Massa: [PDF]
Steven Perkins: [PDF]
Lynn Abrahamsen: [PDF]
Debra Boardman: [PDF]
Gordon Alexander: [PDF]
Catherine Barr: [PDF]
Also included here are two charts that were presented at the
hearing. The first chart depicts the uncompensated care that hospitals
have borne since 2002. The second shows the estimated amount of
Medicare and Medicaid underfunding since 2000.
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