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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

July 2018

Federal funds to Minnesota are instrumental to building shared prosperity

Partnership with the federal government allows Minnesotans to have affordable health care, strong roads and transit, supports for jobs and training, and other priorities for thriving families and communities. Close to $25 billion, or 30 percent of the state’s budget, comes from the federal government.

May 2014

MinnesotaCare: A vital part of Minnesota's health care system

MinnesotaCare provides a path to affordable health insurance for lower-income, working Minnesotans who are not covered by their employers or are not able to find affordable coverage in the private market. This brief looks at changes made to MinnesotaCare in the 2013 Legislative Session, including those to adapt to opportunities under the Affordable Care Act.

August 2013

MNsure: A new world of opportunities for affordable health insurance starts in 2014

Starting January 1, 2014, Minnesotans will experience a new world of health insurance options, thanks to the state’s new insurance exchange, MNsure. MNsure is an online marketplace where individuals and small employers will be able to shop for, compare and enroll in insurance. Although two-thirds of Minnesotans will continue to get health insurance directly through their employers, nearly 1.3 million Minnesotans are expected to use MNsure to find private or public health insurance.

January 2013

The Basic Health Plan option: Creating the next generation of MinnesotaCare

Minnesota has a proud history of making affordable health care coverage available to low-income working families. However, Minnesota is at risk of losing one of our greatest legacies – MinnesotaCare. Over the last 20 years, this signature achievement has allowed hundreds of thousands of working Minnesotans to purchase affordable insurance for themselves and their families.

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.

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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Issues