To the editor:

Having spent most of February with my family fighting colds I am grateful for having quality, affordable healthcare coverage.

Unfortunately, there are too many working families in the state squeezed by rising healthcare costs and many small businesses can no longer afford to offer their employees a competitive benefit package.

The Minnesota Legislature has been working with Gov. Pawlenty, health practitioners, the insurance industry and health policy experts over the last 10 months, closely examining the monumental problems facing our healthcare system and crafting solutions to do something about it.

We put those solutions into a nation-leading health care reform package (HF 3391) that recently passed on the House floor. The bill tackles rising healthcare costs at their core by focusing healthcare efforts in Minnesota on quality outcomes and preventive care.

The proposed reforms will reduce costs by helping us prevent chronic illnesses like diabetes that represent 80 percent of costs. It will help us reduce the cost of treating them by providing doctors and patients with a better model of care and lower administrative costs.

Under this bill, 96 percent of Minnesotans would have health care coverage by 2011. The bill will also promote cost-effective, high quality healthcare, reduce administrative costs, promote public health, and create a more transparent payment system to help patients be better consumers.

It is clear that the status quo on healthcare is not working and with this legislation Minnesota would set a national standard for health care reform in our country.

Will Morgan

State representative