Provide free annual medical checks for those who are uninsured.

 

 

The purpose of this bill is to lower out of pocket hospital costs for the uninsured.

 

 

According to the national immigration law center “Uninsured adults are more than 25 percent more likely to die

prematurely than adults with health insurance” this shows how much of a threat to human life the healthcare crisis is,

they also stated “the uninsured are less likely to schedule regular visits with physicians and to pursue clinically

effective remedies, such as prescription medications.14 Uninsured adults are more likely than the insured to suffer from

an undiagnosed chronic condition” according to this evidence uninsured people are more likely to die prematurely and

less likely to schedule the regular visits that could treat these conditions and prevent that death.

promisecare.com states “ By identifying health issues early, you can save up to $2,000 annually, reducing the need for

costly treatments…Studies show that for every dollar spent on preventive care, healthcare systems save about $3 in

future medical costs.” This shows how having annual physicians visits will help lower unexpected financial burden. This

is achieved through early detection of conditions opening more cost effective treatment options.

Based on this evidence providing free access to annual doctors visits will help lower the amount of unexpected hospital

care for the uninsured therefore lowering costs. Implementing this solution doesn't eliminate the need for access to

affordable healthcare but it is a great step in that direction. This bill is also a great way to test universal

healthcare services on a smaller scale with less risk of large-scale consequences.

 

 

annual doctors visit- a yearly medical visit to asses overall health and keep track of previous conditions

uninsured - person who does not have insurance

 

The average cost of an annual doctor's visit is $472 (sidecarhealth.com) multiplied by the 3.8% of Minnesotans who don't

have health insurance (Minnesota Department of health) The most this could possibly cost is 104 million dollars. (the

budget for 2025 was 61.8 bill [urban institute]). We can't expect everyone who qualifies for this service to use it, for

example 60% of seniors who qualify did not use SNAP benefits (national council on aging ) so this number won't be nearly

this high if we subtract those individuals.

In 2017 721 million packs of cigarettes were purchased in Minnesota (Minnesota house of representatives). The tax is set

increase to 15.6 cents per cigarette in 2026 (minnesota department of revenue) if we increase this tax by an extra 0.9

cents we will be able to pay for more than the maximum expected cost of this program.

 

 

This bill has no penalties associated with it.

 

This bill will take effect at the beginning of the fiscal year following the day of the bills passing.