Health Care

The ability to afford health care shouldn't depend on someone's paycheck or address. Our state has a history of investing in health care, healthy communities, and the well-being of Minnesotans. That's paid off in strong rates of health care coverage. But there's more to do, including dismantling barriers to living healthy lives that many people of color and people in rural areas face.

Our health care work focuses on the effects of state and federal health care policies on Minnesotans' ability to live healthy lives and get the care they need to thrive.

Research

August 2021

Minnesota’s new FY 2022-23 budget takes important steps toward the recovery, falls short of transformational change

Policymakers had a critical task this session: to support and care for those struggling the most and start to build a more equitable recovery. Some important investments were made in the FY 2022-23 budget, but it ultimately fell short of what’s fully needed in this moment and for the long term.

January 2021

Affordable Care Act: Minnesota has much at stake

When it passed a decade ago, the Affordable Care Act was the most comprehensive change to health care policy in a generation, and resulted in more people with health care coverage as well as improvements to make health care more accessible. This issue brief examines how Minnesotans have benefited from the Affordable Care Act, and what's at stake if it goes away.

February 2019

How to read the Health Care Access Fund statement

The Health Care Access Fund (HCAF) was created to hold Minnesota’s health care provider tax revenues, in addition to several smaller revenue sources. This document provides readers a quick tour of the balance sheet that is updated in each state budget forecast.

December 2018

Healthy budget, healthy Minnesotans: Preserving essential health care funding

In 1992, Minnesota policymakers made an important long-term investment in Minnesotans’ health and well-being by creating the health care provider tax. The tax funds affordable health care and access to health professionals for people across the state. Unfortunately it is scheduled to expire next December. Our issue brief explains how the provider tax has improved the health of Minnesotans over the last 26 years, and why it’s so important that policymakers maintain it this coming legislative session.

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Health Care Blog Posts

May 29, 2024

In 2024 session, policymakers progress toward improving health care and child care

While 2024 was not a budget-setting year for the state, policymakers made use of the limited resources they had to build on last year’s transformational investments and took steps to set the state up for a brighter future. This year, child care affordability and affordable health care accessibility continued to rise to the top as a priority for many Minnesotans. This blog takes a look at the policy and budget decisions made this year to make affordable health care and child care available to more Minnesotans.

May 14, 2024

Decisions in session’s final days should strengthen health care and child care for Minnesotans

In 2023, policymakers made transformational budget investments for the well-being of Minnesotans and their families....

July 20, 2023

Medicaid renewal deadline for first group extended to August 1

The state’s Department of Human Services has launched outreach efforts to reach the Minnesotans who need to renew their Medicaid coverage, but community organizations can help share information and resources about Medicaid coverage renewals to make sure our Minnesota neighbors continue to get the health care they and their families count on

May 11, 2023

House-Senate conference committee considering investments to expand affordable health care

While the Health and Human Services conference committee is hashing out the specifics, we can likely say the final budget will make important investments that secure expanded access to health care and ensure a better, healthier future for many.

More Health Care Blogs

Our Health Care Policy Work

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Preserving critical health care funding

Keeping Minnesota’s health care provider tax in place is a key to a healthy Minnesota. The Minnesota Budget Project worked hard alongside others to preserve this critical source of funding by repealing the scheduled sunset of the provider tax during the 2019 Legislative Session. The health care provider tax was permanently extended as part of the budget agreement reached by Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature. However, the provider tax rate was reduced from 2 percent to 1.8 percent.

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Health Care

Research

Minnesota’s new FY 2022-23 budget takes important steps toward the recovery, falls short of transformational change

Affordable Care Act: Minnesota has much at stake

How to read the Health Care Access Fund statement

Healthy budget, healthy Minnesotans: Preserving essential health care funding

Health Care Blog Posts

In 2024 session, policymakers progress toward improving health care and child care

Decisions in session’s final days should strengthen health care and child care for Minnesotans

Medicaid renewal deadline for first group extended to August 1

House-Senate conference committee considering investments to expand affordable health care

Our Health Care Policy Work

Preserving critical health care funding

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