Walz after a Democratic governors' meeting at the White House in July. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is a favorite of progressives and has racked up a slew of left-leaning health care accomplishments with a fully Democratic legislature.
Why it matters: Walz has a record of taking on the health care industry over costs, though many of the efforts are still in the early stages and it remains to be seen how they pan out.
Here's what you need to know about Walz and health policy:
Prescription drug prices: Walz and the Minnesota legislature created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board last year, with the power to cap prices.
- The board is still in the early stages of getting up and running, but it has unsurprisingly drawn stiff resistance from the pharmaceutical industry.
- In 2020, Walz signed legislation to cap out of pocket insulin costs, before the Inflation Reduction Act took similar action on a federal level.
Hospital costs: Walz and the legislature also ran into opposition from the Mayo Clinic, the state's crown jewel hospital, over a proposed health care affordability board with power over hospital and other provider costs.
- As Politico reported last year, the Mayo Clinic threatened to withhold $4 billion in planned investments, and lawmakers ended up watering down the proposal.
Public option/insurers: The legislature and Walz also created a state-based public option last year.
- That proposal has yet to fully take off, and started out with a study and actuarial analysis, as Axios reported last year.
Abortion: Walz is a supporter of abortion rights.
- In 2022, he signed an executive order seeking to protect people who travel to Minnesota for abortions from being prosecuted by their home states.
- He also signed a law last year enshrining abortion rights in state statute.
Medical tech: Minnesota MedTech Hub 3.0 was designated by the Biden administration as one of the 31 inaugural Tech Hubs around the country that show potential for rapid growth, our colleagues Mackenzie Weinger and Maria Curi report.
- The consortium is aiming to make the state a center for "Smart MedTech," or integrating AI, machine learning and data science into medical tech.
- "Minnesota leads the world in innovative medical technology, and as Governor I've made the case for critical investments in workforce development, education, research and more to bolster our position and keep us competitive," Walz said in a statement last year.
Our thought bubble: One of the reasons Walz has kindled progressives' interest is his record of accomplishment in a Democratic-controlled state.
- If the Harris-Walz ticket wins, don't expect cost control boards and the like on a federal level, given the strong likelihood of a divided government.
