While some of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s opponents decried a health care plan unveiled Monday as election year generosity from a governor who has cut plenty of health care, they should welcome the discussion.

Pawlenty flew around the state yesterday, including a stop in Mankato, touting a plan that would introduce quality measures into the health care system and pay bonuses to medical providers who meet the standards.

There would be incentives, for example, to treat diabetic patients so well they would avoid costly amputations. The plan would aim to create incentives for doctors to help diabetics cut blood sugar levels, cholesterol and blood pressure and get them to quit smoking and take an aspirin a day.

Pawlenty estimates the plan might save the state $150 million a year by 2010, and the savings would more than pay for the incentives to doctors.

Pawlenty already has signed an executive order that would cover about a fifth of the state’s population that includes state employees and those on state assisted medical plans.

DFL gubernatorial candidate and Attorney General Mike Hatch said the plan would probably improve patient care, but doubted it would save the state money.

His analysis shouldn’t be taken lightly. As Attorney General, Hatch has become well-versed in Minnesota’s medical systems and their costs, often taking on the big providers and winning settlements.

Other Democrats described Pawlenty’s newfound interest in the health care of Minnesotans as an election year ploy.

Reasonable people could question the governor’s motives, but the governor’s announcement opens the door to doing something, possibly anything, to generate discussion on a serious issue.

There are more Minnesotans without health care than there were four or five years ago. There are certainly likely millions of Minnesotans who are paying much more for health care than they did a few years ago.

Pawlenty, in his defense, has not all of a sudden seen the health care light. While his administration and Republicans did dramatically reduce the rolls of people in Minnesota on subsidized health care and toughened eligibility, the governor also took significant steps to bring about the state purchasing of lower-priced drugs from Canada through the states Rx Connection program.

So the debate should continue beyond the governor’s whistle stops. Health care is too important an issue to leave at the door of political rhetoric.