Reform on a Diet: America's Healthiest State Weighs in
39 Pages Posted: 31 Jan 2009
Date Written: Winter 2006
Abstract
Part of the symposium series entitled Minnesota Progressive?, this article begins by reviewing the evolution of health care finance over the past sixty years. It then explores the current health care programs in Minnesota and their development. It traces the progress made in Minnesota toward universal coverage in the 1990s and the retreat from this goal during recent years. Next, it examines health reform initiatives in other states. Finally, the article analyzes why bold health reform measures currently appear in other states - but not in Minnesota - and the implications for the state's progressive tradition. It concludes that the state is at a turning point and that only to the extent that its leaders possess both the passion for health care reform and the willingness to build bipartisan coalitions to work towards long-term solutions, will Minnesota continue to retain its ranking as the healthiest, if not the most progressive, state.
Keywords: health reform, health policy
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