Controlling Our Healthcare Costs - What are the Tradeoffs?: Possible Solutions for Rapidly Rising Healthcare Costs

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Accuracy in Stating Facts in Campaign Debates/Discussions is a Must!

  At the August 2025 Jordan Commercial Club meeting, Rep. Ben Bakeberg said that “if the free lunch for all program in the schools approved in 2023 was amended with an income limitation of $160,000 per household added, the State of MN could save $460 million (although I don’t recall whether he said whether it would be per year or per biennium) and that could be redirected to the classroom”. That did not sound accurate, so I did some queries with chatgpt.com which is pasted below. The summary is as follows: 1.       The estimate of the incremental cost to the state at the time the law was passed was $400 million per biennium. We need to look at incremental cost as the federal government reimburses the school system for free or reduced lunches and breakfast for those who qualify based on low incomes. So, the incremental cost is the total cost of the meals minus the federal reimbursement. According to the most recently published USDA Income Eligibility Gui...
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Our Changing Climate: Options to Consider

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Our Changing Climate: Options to Consider ·          Have you noticed that the past few “normal” Minnesota winters have not been as cold as 20 or 30 years ago? According to University of Minnesota scientists testifying to the Minnesota House of Representatives earlier this year, between 1895 and 2015, average daily low temperatures in winter have increased. In the northern part of the state, they’re up 4.8 degrees over that period and 3.4 degrees in the south. One study pointed out that between 1959 and 1978 Duluth averaged 45 days a year in which the average daily temperature did not top 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Between 1999 and 2018, there were no such days. ·          Have you noticed that the emerald ash borer territory has moved north with the borers not killed in the winter as the winters have gotten warmer, such that our state’s ash trees have been disappearing? ·    ...
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Fraud is never acceptable, especially with taxpayer funds.

  Fraud in Minnesota state programs is an issue that is brought up frequently while I am visiting voters at the door. Eliminating fraud must be stopped. As a first step to educate myself, I conducted the ChatGPT.com inquiry pasted below. Much may already be done to control fraud by the time I take office in January 2027, but rest assured, this will continue to be one of my key issues while bringing our state expenses to match our revenues that the state collects. That said, it is premature to speculate exactly what improvements will still be needed by 2027. However, had I been in office earlier this year, I would have joined the bipartisan group of Senators who successfully passed the bill that would have created an independent office of Inspector General to root out fraud. Unfortunately, the bill died in the House due to united DFL opposition pushed by Gov. Walz. While it is critical to set up our systems to prevent fraud from happening in the first place, it is also critical to e...
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