1E Requiring the commissioner of employee relations (DOER) in consultation with the commissioners of health, human services, labor and industry, corrections, commerce and administration and the Minnesota comprehensive health association (MCHA) board of directors to by a certain date enter into interagency agreements for formation of the Minnesota health care purchasing authority to implement a unified strategy and joint purchasing of health care services for the state, specifying certain strategy content requirements and requiring the commissioners to report to the legislature by a certain later date with proposed legislation for creation of the authority as a state agency; requiring the authority to annually prepare and submit to the governor and the legislature reports and plans for the unified purchasing of health care services, specifying certain plan requirements; requiring the authority to convene a panel of health care policy experts and health care providers to establish a process to select evidenced based guidelines based on sound research evidence and implement an integrated approach using the guidelines for purchasing decisions and coverage design and to prepare and submit to the governor and legislature by a certain date a plan to permit public employers, nursing homes and other long term care employers to purchase a secure benefit set through the authority, specifying certain secure benefit set health care services requirements; authorizing the commissioner of employee relations to expand the range of health coverage options available to purchase under the public employees insurance program including the option to purchase the secure benefit set, authorizing public employers, nursing homes and other long term care employers to purchase health coverage for employees through the program after a certain date and requiring the purchasing authority to include in the plan a process for permitting certain small private employers and individuals to purchase the secure benefit set through the authority after a certain later date; requiring authority submission of a report and proposed legislation to the governor and the legislature by a certain date requiring state purchasing and regulatory requirements to use common standards and measurement methods for quality and performance; requiring the authority to define a secure benefit set and in developing a plan for unified purchasing and the benefit set to consider the needs of special populations; requiring the authority to contract with a private nonprofit organization to serve as a statewide source of comparative information on health care costs and quality
(ra, ja)