Loading ...Kalin Responds to GAMC Cuts
Late Thursday night the governor eliminated General Assistance Medical Care in Minnesota (GAMC). This veto cut $381 million from Minnesota hospitals and would result in the loss of 8,000 jobs. It means $957,525 in cuts to Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center in Wyoming, Minnesota, and the loss of health care for 30,000 of Minnesota’s poorest citizens – many who are veterans and senior citizens.
Sunday at the State Capitol, Rep. Jeremy Kalin (DFL – Chisago County) voted to override the governor’s vetoes. The following is a statement from Rep. Kalin:
Fifteen years ago, my brother passed out behind the wheel in northern Wisconsin. At 100 miles per hour his vehicle hit the ditch, flew through the air, and cracked a tree in half. He was lifted by LifeLink helicopter to the Twin Cities, and his life was saved at the best Level 1 trauma center in the Midwest – Hennepin County Medical Center. Because of Governor Pawlenty’s veto, HCMC will face a $108 million budget cut. That means significant layoffs and serious cutbacks in the very medical care services that saved my brother’s life.
In 2004, my predecessor Rep. Pete Nelson was seriously injured in an accident in his butcher shop. He arrived at Fairview Lakes Regional Medical Center in Wyoming bleeding to death. He was stabilized by the outstanding medical professionals there. Fairview Lakes is the largest employer in Chisago County, putting food on the table for the families of 1,300 workers in our community. Because of Governor Pawlenty’s veto, the hospital will face a $957,525 cut. That means significant layoffs and serious cutbacks in medical care services in our community that helps save lives, every day.
Voting to override this veto was about putting the health and safety of Minnesotans first. It was about protecting hundreds of jobs in our community. It was about making sure people like my brother, like Pete Nelson, like any of our neighbors have the care they need when they need it most. It was about making sure our hospital is there when a child need stitches, when an elderly man has a heart attack, or when there is a car accident and only minutes to spare to save a life.