The Affordable Care Act is Already Working

For decades, the cost of our health care system had been skyrocketing, while also leaving tens of millions of Americans uninsured, and completely excluding people with pre-existing conditions or those who had reached lifetime limits on coverage. Now, under the Affordable Care Act, hardworking families in Minnesota are starting to get the security they need from our health care system. And I’m proud that a provision I authored, which requires insurance companies to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on actual health care instead of executive salaries, profits, or marketing, will be going into effect next year. A recent study showed that this provision would have saved nearly $2 billion nationally (and $266 on average for each Minnesotan) if it had been in place in 2010. So I'm very optimistic that it can make a real difference.

We’re only two years into implementation of the Affordable Care Act and already we can see the impact it’s having on people’s lives. More than a million Minnesotans have benefited from the ACA so far, and it’s only going to get better as the rest of the Affordable Care Act is implemented.

Working to Make Gasoline More Affordable

Minnesotans are feeling the rising cost of gasoline at the pump. Average gas prices in our state are around $3.75 a gallon right now, squeezing budgets of already cash-strapped families. A recent report by Forbes Magazine, which used data from Goldman Sachs, showed that excessive oil speculation—the practice of market traders who seek to enrich themselves by predicting whether the price of oil will go up or down in the future—contributes significantly to the rising cost of oil, and can add as much as 56 cents to the cost of every gallon of gas. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation that requires the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to use its authority to eliminate excessive speculation and bring down the price of gas.

Supporting the Rural Energy for America Program

Farmers and small businesses are the backbone of our economy in Minnesota. Their hard work and innovation help build communities and create jobs. But often high-energy costs can prevent businesses and farms from thriving, which is why I introduced legislation to reauthorize and strengthen the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). This bill will help farmers and small businesses save money on energy while at the same time earn some extra income. The program gives grants and loan guarantees to agriculture producers and businesses in rural areas to help them install renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. This will save small businesses money and help farmers diversify and increase their income through energy sales. This is an important bill that will help thousands of Minnesotans and help America move away from its dependence on foreign oil.

Recognizing Children in Military Families

April is both national poetry month and national Military Child month, so I thought it would be appropriate to hold a poetry contest for the children of military families. I want to acknowledge these children because being part of a military family sometimes isn’t easy.

With this poetry contest, I hope to not only recognize the extraordinary work of men and women serving across the world, but also their children, who sacrifice so much when a parent is called away. The winner will receive an autographed book by famed Minnesota author Garrison Keillor and the winning poems will be framed and hung in my Washington office.