Governor Pawlenty chimes in on health care reform for Minnesota

According to a press conference and a press release Tuesday from the office of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Minnesotans "would be first in the nation to be able to purchase health insurance across state lines under an initiative proposed by the governor."

The press release clearly outlines the steps of the governors plans, and the website also provides a link to listen to the press conference directly.

Bullet points and bold font separate the proposals of the governor, which include:

• Allow Minnesotans to Purchase Health Insurance from Other States
• Require MinnesotaCare & Medical Assistance to Price Health Care Services Based on Quality and Cost
• Include Consumer-Driven Incentives in MinnesotaCare

After the introduction of the points, the release clearly maps more details in its body.

According to Pawlenty's release, "Minnesota continues to lead the nation in the performance of our health care system, as recognized most recently by the Commonwealth Fund’s state scorecard. In their 2009 scrutiny of access, quality, costs, healthy lives, and equity, Minnesota moved ahead of states such as Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut from 9th place to 4th place overall. We should continue to take action to keep Minnesota on the leading edge of health care policy innovation."

That said, CNN also published a piece on Pawlenty's latest initiative in its "political tracker" portion of its website. Tuesday, the outlet reported the facts of the initiative, but chose to spin the story toward the Minnesotan figure aiming for national limelight. Pawlenty is reportedly contemplating a Republican bid for the White House in 2012.

The shorter, more summarized version on CNN clearly mentions the governor's three pronged proposal, but keeps its information to smaller quotes and catchier phrases of the governor's.

Clearly, what is released by the governor's press team and website is aimed at a localized audience of Minnesotans, interested in the details of a proposal that could easily affect them. CNN, on the other hand, has another initiative: to keep covering individuals who could clearly and likely creep up for larger, more prominent purposes in the future.