Why would the DFL Governor push a more expensive insurance subsidy plan that supports fewer people?

Rep Steve Elkins (DFL, Bloomington) recently gave a hint in his newsletter to constituents. He claimed that Walz’s plan “includes a temporary funding extension to ensure low-cost coverage to those effected.” (sic)

Elkins was alluding to the DFL plan to extend the provider tax. This tax would be passed on to every patient, adding $1 billion to the cost of health care over the next two years.

Again, why would the DFL want to make private health care even more expensive? Rep Elkins claims that “the Governor is also working on a long-term solution that would deliver an additional, affordable and sustainable public health care option.”

Republicans do not believe that the only option for affordable health care is state-run health care. House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt told The Associated Press that the state can squeeze enough money out of other sources to fund health care programs for people who really need help paying their medical bills. "Everybody in the state campaigned on lowering health care costs, and you can't lower health care costs by raising health care costs." Rep Daudt (R, Crown) said. He went on to say that the state could free up money by making public programs more efficient, eliminating fraud in the state's troubled Child Care Assistance Program and kicking people off public programs who don't qualify.