The Health Policy Advocates, the group I am associated with, is pushing for merging markets. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to merge markets thus making a larger pool and making health insurance more affordable. This means that people that usually buy insurance on their own and not through their employer could join a larger pool.

What we are proposing is writing letters requesting Gov. Dayton to tell the Department of Commerce to allow this pooling of markets as the ACA allows per the Code of Federal Regulation, 45 CFR 156.80 Single risk pool. Our suggestion is adding individual people and small businesses to the pool of state employees.

Giving individuals tax benefits to buy insurance, which has been suggested by some legislative leaders, only puts more profits in the insurance companies pockets.

At the same time we need to be pressing our House and Senate leaders and Dayton to pass the Minnesota Health Plan this year.

Sharon Schmidt

Savage