End Government Discrimination Against Medical Assistance Patients
Pass the Freedom to Choose Bill
Mission of the Freedom to Choose bill:
Restore equal access to all Medical Assistance patients to choose their own doctors
and other health care providers.
SF404 Author: Dr. Alice Mann
Co-Authors: Jim Abeler, DC; John Marty, Dr. Matt Klein, Liz Boldon
HF816 Author: Kim Hicks
Co-Authors: Tina Liebling, Peter Fischer, Brion Curran, Athena Hollins,
Hodan Hassan, Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, Samantha Vang
Eliminates discrimination, enforced by state government, among Medical Assistance patients.
Currently, a minority of them are granted the Freedom to Choose their preferred doctors and
other health care providers, but the state withholds this right to choose from the majority of
Medical Assistance patients.
Reduces racial disparities, allowing Medical Assistance patients the Freedom to Choose
culturally appropriate health care providers.
Provides good transparency and accountability on the tax funds paying for patients who
exercise the Freedom to Choose their preferred health care providers. There is no payment
transparency, and only the most minimum accountability, on tax funds devoted to the
majority of patients who lack the Freedom to Choose due to receiving care through managed
care organizations.
The 2022 fiscal note on this bill demonstrated that it would save the state millions of dollars.
Such savings present funding opportunities for other needs in your district.
ENDORSED BY: Health Care For All Minnesota (HCAMN)
Our Revolution Twin Cities
Minnesota Nurses Association
ACTION: Support this bill: 1. Become a co-author
2. Speak up in favor of the bill in committees and in floor sessions.
3. Vote for the bill in committee hearings and in floor sessions.
Health Policy Advocates initiated this bill. We are a multi-partisan citizen
group in Minnesota for improved health care access and ending
discrimination against Medical Assistance patients.
Contact Diane Peterson, 651 487 8007, oak7@centurylink.net; or Sharon
Schmidt, 952 996 9070, sschmidt776@usfamily.net
