With early voting set to begin Friday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson is calling on Democrat Tim Walz to clarify his stance on implementing a single-payer health care system in Minnesota.
In a Tuesday press release, Johnson’s campaign states that while several media outlets have reported that Walz supports a “Minnesota Care buy-in” system, that is not actually “his position.”
“Tim Walz has unequivocally stated that he supports a Minnesota Care buy-in in the immediate future, then he will usher ‘single-payer’ into law,” the press release continues, saying the “price-tag and consequences of single-payer are staggering and Tim Walz owes Minnesotans answers.”
Johnson’s campaign asks Walz to address three specific questions related to his health care agenda, starting with questions about “what specific taxes will be raised on Minnesotans” to pay for the estimated $17 billion in annual costs for a single-payer system in the state.
“Will every Minnesotan lose their existing health care plan?” the press release asks, concluding by requesting that Walz address the financial impact his proposal will have on practicing doctors.
“What does the Walz plan factor to be the [financial] impact on the number of practicing doctors in Minnesota when they are only paid the equivalent of medicare reimbursement rates?” the press release concludes.
Walz has yet to respond to the request, but his campaign website offers some clarifications on his health care plan. For instance, Walz “believes that a single payer type system is on Minnesota’s horizon,” though he first wants to take action to “control costs and improve care.”
Walz also hopes to prioritize affordable mental health care and has vowed to “stand with organizations that support women’s health,” touting a “100 percent voting record with Planned Parenthood” during his time in Congress.
Johnson, on the other hand, wants to increase the number of health care options for Minnesotans and plans to use federal waivers that would allows Minnesotans to abandon the provisions of Obamacare.
In the latest polls, Minnesota voters ranked health care as their top priority in the November election, but are faced with two candidates who have very different visions on the issue.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
