Government subsidized heath care (and waffles)

Later hours for bars is back on the legislative table. Toby Pearson of the Catholic Health Association of Minnesota reminded me that nothing is dead until the legislature adjourns sine die — the end of a legislative biennium "without day."

St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman wants his city council members to make a push for it at the legislature. We'll see what happens.

I wanted to use some snarky segway about how drinking until 4 a.m. can lead to the main topic at hand — the need for health care and other related topics — but I couldn't settle on just one.

However, if the bars are going to be open that late in St. Paul during the convention, it's hard to resist that kind of novelty. I might consider it a duty to Catholic Spirit readers that I'm at the Liffey until closing time getting an inside scoop on the convention. And if the legislation doesn't pass, the 24-hour dive diner Mickey's on West Seventh better be setting up street-side as all the Republicans rush for waffles.

There's legislation for health care reform in the House. It's pretty much agreed that there's need of health care reform and that insurance is too high, but then what is the "right price" for health insurance?

This bill thinks it has the answer: If you pay more than $3,800 per year but make less than $64,000, you're paying too much, the bill says. It's pushing for state-subsidized health care, and it plans to use the surplus in the Health Care Access Fund, which also supports programs like Minnesota Care. (This is also the fund Gov. Pawlenty wanted to use to help balance the budget.)

Some Republicans oppose the bill because it's getting too close for comfort to government-provided care and away from market-based insurance.

So, what do you think? What role, if any, should the government play in affordable health care? Check out this week's Catholic Spirit for a letter from Jeff Maciej, a masters in social work student at the The College of St. Catherine/University of St. Thomas who argues that we need universal health care.