Minnesota report will track effectiveness of healthcare reforms

Without healthcare reform, Minnesota's healthcare tab over the next nine years will nearly double to $78.5 billion, a new report projects, and health spending will swell from 15 to 20% of the state's economy. The report from the Health Care Economics Program at the state Health Department will be used to measure how well healthcare reforms slow the growth in healthcare spending in Minnesota. Starting next June, the Health Department will issue annual analyses comparing actual expenses with projected costs, with the difference pegged as the effect of reform.