Minnesota Care

Whether you are interested in a tour of the United States Capitol, assistance from my Health Care Help Line to resolve an insurance problem, or the latest information on a legislative issue or vote, my staff and I will provide you with the most up-to-date information you are looking for. ... [Read More]

Interventions to Increase Influenza Vaccination of Health-Care Workers --- California and Minnesota
The influenza vaccine shortage during the 2004--05 season might have prevented health-care institutions from implementing aggressive campaigns for vaccination of HCWs. However, HCWs remain a high-priority group for vaccination ( 5 ). The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has produced a call to action to improve rates of influenza vaccination in HCWs ( 10 ). The interventions described in this report suggest that making vaccination easily accessible at no cost to HCWs and designated peer vaccination champions are likely to increase vaccine coverage among HCWs. References ... [Read More]

Minnesota State Information Page
The largest industry in Minnesota is health care. Minnesota is also an agricultural state with the related grain handling and processing, dairy, poultry, and meat packing industries. The four largest manufacturing industries include industrial machinery, printing and publishing, food and kindred products, and forest products (paper, lumber, wood, etc.). ... [Read More]

TriTAC. EPS. Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Tribal District. State/Tribal
The opportunity to learn from and collaborate with tribal programs; Increased knowledge and understanding of tribal child care issues such as licensing standards, training needs, sovereignty, etc; Enhanced connections between tribal child care programs, CCR&Rs, state agencies, and other early childhood organizations; The development of a culturally relevant approach to providing technical assistance and training for tribal child care programs; Identification and sharing of resources related to culturally responsive caregiving practices for American Indian families and children; Access to culturally-specific information and resources, such as the Positive Indian Parenting curriculum; Increased data sharing between tribal programs, CCR&Rs, and the State; Improved availability and accessibility of quality tribal child care services throughout Minnesota; and Increased voice for tribal programs, through the tribal child care advisory committee, in terms of policy development ... [Read More]

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USDA Rural Development provides funding to rural communities for housing, clean water, hospitals, clinics, community centers, day-care facilities, first responder needs, business development, economic development, job creation and other essential community infrastructure. Our goal is to improve the quality of life in rural communities and carry out President Bush's vision for a strong rural America. USDA Rural Development has invested over $2 billion throughout Minnesota the last four years. ... [Read More]

Mark Dayton, U.S. Senator from Minnesota: Health Care Helpline
Mark's Health Care Help Line helps Minnesotans get the medical services which their doctors have prescribed but which their insurance companies or HMO's won't provide or pay for. ...

HOME > SENATE SERVICES > HEALTH CARE HELPLINE ... [Read More]

Mark Dayton, U.S. Senator from Minnesota: Issues & Legislation
Mark continues to advocate vigorously for greater access to affordable health care for Minnesotans' and Americans'. ...

Mark considers it to be a top priority to make certain that Minnesota's veterans and military retirees receive access to quality health care and benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. ... [Read More]

Untitled Document
The Minnesota State Legislature required the Department of Human Services to study in depth the dental access issues for Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) Beneficiaries. The report found that utilization of services in the state was very low for MHCP beneficiaries. Only 30% visited a dentist in the mid-1990's compared to 70% of Americans with commercial insurance. The study also noted disparities in utilization among geographic regions and racial groups. The study found that low levels of provider participation, low payment rates, insufficient numbers of providers, administrative burdens, financial challenges for safety-net providers, scarcity of comprehensive data on oral health needs, and low demand from MHCP beneficiaries contributed to the low utilization rates. The report recommends payment rate increases that ate tied to the performance of the providers, using dental access improvement grants, creating a standing Minnesota Health Care Program dental advisory committee, and dev ... [Read More]

Mark Dayton, U.S. Senator from Minnesota: Health Care
In an attempt to mitigate some of the problems caused by the flawed Medicare bill, Mark introduced legislation including the Unshackle Seniors Act of 2004, which would allow seniors to purchase more than one prescription drug card, and the Taste of Our Own Medicine bill, which would require Members of Congress to receive prescription drug benefits equal in value to the benefits received by Medicare beneficiaries under the Medicare Reform legislation. ...

In addition to fighting for truly meaningful prescription drug benefits for our seniors, Mark continues to push for legislation such as the Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, which would end insurance companies' discriminatory treatment of people with mental illnesses. Also, he continues to explore ways to extend health care coverage to the millions of Americans who must rely on the hospital emergency room as their primary source of health care. ... [Read More]

Research Activities, May 2004: Health Care Costs and Financing: Health care costs are lower in Minnesota than in other States due mostly to structural factors, not financial incentives
Previous studies have shown that health care costs in Minnesota are lower than in many other States. A recent study supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (contract 290-00-0017) identified several possible reasons for this difference. Analysis of Minnesota medical group practices conducted during 2001 revealed that they had lower per-member, per-month costs due to better clinical support systems and use of mid-level providers rather than financial incentives, such as capitation (a fixed payment per person cared for, regardless of the type of service delivered, which provides an incentive to limit costly services). ... [Read More]