AHCA: Huge Losses in Premium Aid for Minnesotans

by | Apr 25, 2017

Earlier this year, conservatives attempted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA), otherwise known as Trumpcare. These efforts were stymied by the rivaling factions within the Republican party, but had the bill...

AHCA: Huge Increase in State Costs

by | Mar 28, 2017

In the February 2017 forecast, Minnesota Management & Budget and the State Council of Economic Advisors warned of potential downside risk to the state budget resulting from changes in federal policy. Earlier this month, one of these threats came into sharper...

Comparing Health Care Premium Relief Proposals

by | Jan 6, 2017

This week, both Governor Dayton and the Republican-led legislature released proposals to help Minnesotans deal with spikes in health care premiums. Governor Dayton originally proposed his plan in October 2016, while the GOP plan is new. Both proposals spend about $300...

Mid-Week Reads: Gun Death Rates, Earned Sick and Safe Time

by | Jun 23, 2016

Every week, North Star will take some time out of our schedules to bring you our favorite reads from the past week. Jeff Van Wychen Compare These Gun Death Rates: The U.S. Is in a Different World This article uses a variety of comparisons to illustrate the rate of gun...

Indexing Cigarette Taxes is Smart Public Policy

by | Jun 1, 2016

The per pack cigarette tax in Minnesota is indexed (or adjusted annually) based on the change in the average cigarette retail price. As a result of indexing, the tax on a pack of cigarettes has risen from $2.83 in 2014 to $3.00 per pack in 2016 and will likely...