Last week, Minnesota House Democrats held a press conference announcing their plan for a public health insurance option that they say will 
The measure, according to supporters, will lead to reductions in uninsurance, underinsurance and uncompensated care. It will, they said, offer temporary assistance to help individuals and small businesses afford healthcare while the buy-in is being implemented. It will also create a path toward alternative care delivery systems by working with providers to improve health outcomes, health equity and access, all while maintaining affordability for the state and enrollees.
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield) took part in the press conference, and said she was very excited about the plan. Her support for the bill is rooted in both personal experience and a broader perspective. In the past, Pursell said, she and her family have purchased their insurance through MNsure, and she has seen the benefits of the program from the inside out. While she said she would prefer to see universal health care for everyone in the country, she sees this bill as a step in the right direction.
House majority Leader Jaimie Long (D-Minneapolis), who is the chief author of the bill, said the idea is to increase access, which will then equate to affordability. Pursell said the rates will be on a sliding scale depending on income, but the bill would essentially remove the income cap from the existing program and help more Minnesotans.
“We wouldn’t tell someone who is perhaps of high wealth, ‘You can’t join this program.’ I think a lot of people, especially self-employed people, only have so many options and sometimes those, depending on their age, can be absolutely prohibitive. So, we want to try to broaden the pool and make it more affordable for everyone.”
According to the DFL press office, the bill has passed through the House Commerce Committee, and will next receive a hearing in the House Health Finance and Policy Committee.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Kristi Pursell can be heard here
Workshops scheduled for redevelopment projects
As the City of Northfield moves forward on the Bridge Square renovation, the 5th & Water Street redevelopment project, and a much larger 
vision for activating the city’s Riverfront areas, three separate workshops have been scheduled this week for business and property-owners. The meetings are designed to discuss potential ideas for the areas, and the impact those ideas could have for years to come.
Consultants Bruce Jacobson and Bob Close will present the project, take questions and ask for feedback from attendees. The pair are former partners in a landscape and urban design and architecture firm who still work together on selected projects. Jacobson said the two have a wealth of experience and have talked with thousands of people over their 30+ year careers about what makes a great community. It is his feeling that community conversation about Northfield’s needs and how it should grow is vitally important to this project, and he and Close have been retained to, as he put it, help guide and facilitate that conversation.
“Over the last 30 years plus, Bob and I together have listened to hundreds and hundreds of people talk about what they think makes great communities, what makes great neighborhoods, great cities, and so forth. So, our practice in the Twin Cities was really working a lot with communities like Northfield, cities of every size and description in different neighborhoods to do these kinds of community conversations.”
While the long-range plan does include possibilities like the removal of the Ames Mill Dam, and possible development of Ames Park, Jacobson insists that he and Close have not been commissioned to make wholesale change. Instead, he said, it is their responsibility to show the community a variety of possibilities.
For example, Jacobson pointed out that the City of Northfield owns just about all of the Cannon River riverfront land within the city limits. Combine that, he said, with the strategic property purchases being made by the city, and suddenly Northfield has an opportunity to create something that could pay high dividends for many years.
Throughout the process, Jacobson and Close have engaged with various civic groups. The Riverwalk MarketFair and Vintage Band Festival were consulted about the Bridge Square design. The Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee, he said, has been part of the conversation in several different facets of the process. While the ideas being discussed may seem controversial to many, Jacobson said as the conversations develop and more people take a strong look at the possibilities, they begin to understand and that is the point of this week’s workshops.
“It feels like a once in a lifetime kind of alignment between leadership board and commissions, city staff, private development and many of the voices in the community. We’ve heard lots of different opinions, on every point of the compass, so not all the voices. But I think, generally, we’re building momentum around an idea, particularly for the central riverfront that is very active.”
The three workshops will cover different phases and aspects of the Downtown Redevelopment. One concerning the 5th and Water Street Redevelopment will be tomorrow, February 15th, from 10:00am until noon. A second meeting concerning the redevelopment of what is now being called the Archer Block is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, February 15th, from 1:30pm-3:30pm. The third workshop, dealing with the River West area, will be Thursday, February 16th, from 10:00am-12:00pm.
Council will meet with Branding Commission tonight
Meanwhile the same 2nd floor training room will host the City Council tonight for a special work session that will focus on the work being
done by the city’s new Branding Commission.
The meeting will be a joint engagement session between the council and the commission as they discuss the results of the branding survey that was run by the commission late last year.
As always, the City Council and the Northfield City Staff are eager to hear the opinions of the public on any matter, whether the subject is on the Council agenda or not. Tonight’s meeting is a work session, so the Council will not hear from the public. However, those who do wish to make a point, air an opinion or ask a question can email their councilor directly or make use of the eComment function which can be found in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The meeting will begin tonight at 6pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
