Results of the 2009 Legislative Session

AARP staff and volunteers worked throughout the 2009 Legislative Session to advocate on behalf of Minnesotans 50+. 

“Our top priority this session was to protect vulnerable Minnesotans from undue harm caused by budget cuts,” said AARP State Director Michele Kimball. “While we were able to succeed in some areas, we will continue to work with lawmakers about our concerns for the future.”

Health and Long-term Care

In the end, the signed budget affected health and long-term care in many ways, including:

•    The Governor eliminated funding for the General Assistance Medical Care (GMAC) program, leaving about 35,000 Minnesotans without health insurance.
•    Home and Community-based provider rates will be reduced by 2.58%.
•    Nursing Facility rebasing was delayed until 2014, creating more concerns in already financially fragile nursing homes.

AARP worked to defeat some other budget and policy ideas that emerged this session.  A Senate bill that proposed charging nursing home residents an additional  $350 was adamantly opposed by  AARP and defeated.  Proposals to allow for some repeal of our long standing “rate equalization law” were also defeated.  AARP believes all residents should be charged the same rate to ensure equal care for all.

Concerns for the Future

Because of the federal stimulus package, which AARP supported at the federal level, many cuts to health and long-term care were avoided or prolonged. 

“We are very concerned about what will happen when the stimulus money runs out,” said AARP State Director Michele Kimball.  “Our work to protect vulnerable Minnesotans is far from over.”

Specifically, AARP is concerned about cuts in eligibility for long-term care waiver programs that help keep elders out of nursing homes and any additional cuts in funding to long-term care that could potentially lead to cuts in critical staff levels.

Passage of Protections for Vulnerable Adults

In addition to the budget bill, legislation to better protect vulnerable adults from financial exploitation and other abuse was signed into law.  The legislation brought forth by a broad coalition, including AARP, updates Minnesota’s vulnerable adult’s law, streamlines the current reporting system, helps assure that first responders can deal with these crimes, and allows for better protections against financial exploitation.  

Reverse Mortgage Protections

An AARP-backed bill to protect consumers of Reverse Mortgages passed both chambers with wide margins of bipartisan support (Senate 65-2, House 97-31) – but was vetoed by Governor Pawlenty.  The legislation would have required homeowners to seek nonbiased counseling before entering into a reverse mortgage.  It also would have prohibited cross-selling of insurance products and expanded the timeframe in which consumers can rescind their loan.  AARP will consider reintroducing this important legislation in the future.

Medicare Balanced Billing

AARP helped defeat a bill that would have allowed physicians to bill Minnesota Medicare patients more than the set Medicare reimbursement rate.  Many AARP members talked with their legislators about the potential impact to consumers – and several more called and emailed their lawmakers with concerns.

Communities for a Lifetime

As a member of the Leadership Council on Aging, AARP worked to pass legislation to encourage communities to make services available that support the ability of older adults to live independently. Legislation to begin this process was signed into law.  Stakeholders will now make recommendations to the Legislature about a process for individual communities to voluntarily seek the designation of a Community for a Lifetime.