Gov. Dayton Wants HMOs To Open Their Books

The Governor's executive order requires HMOs, which get 3-billion dollars in taxpayer money every year to run programs like Medicaid and MinnCare, to open their books to auditors and bid on those contracts in the future. The four HMOs affected by this drastic change are Medica, Health Partners, Blue Cross/Blue Shield and U-Care. The changes go into effect in the 2012 budget year.

The Minnesota Council of Helth Plans, the group that represents the HMOs, issued a statement saying they support Governor Dayton's move, but they also said they hope the contracting will not lead to "cut-rate health care."