First published in Access Press, April 1, 2022.
Minnesota should use this historic opportunity to strengthen health care and supports.
All Minnesotans deserve to receive the health care they need, when they need it. More than 1 million of us, from babies to seniors, in every county and Tribal nation, get health care and supports so they can work, go to school and live independently through Medicaid, called Medical Assistance in Minnesota. Our state has a strong history of investments in health care and has the capacity to ensure our system works for everyone, regardless of income, address, age, disability, race, ethnicity, or gender.
The state’s historic budget surplus provides a once in a generation opportunity to expand on Minnesota’s existing framework and move toward providing the best possible health care for all. Minnesota’s Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and lower-income Minnesotans have borne the brunt of the hardships caused by the pandemic and should be prioritized in this year’s health care investments. Focused investments can also begin to narrow our state’s harmful disparities in health and well-being due to historic and current policies that limit low-income and BIPOC folks’ access to health care.
This Is Medicaid is a diverse coalition of nonpartisan organizations from across Minnesota partnering to strengthen Medicaid. These organizations advocate for or directly serve people who receive health care and support through Medicaid.
We believe Minnesotans should be able to get the health care they need, when and where they need it. We believe health and well-being are vital to strong and thriving Minnesota families and communities. And we educate and activate community members and policymakers to preserve and strengthen the promise of Medicaid.
Our coalition supports policy changes that seize this opportunity to strengthen health care for a broad swath of Minnesotans who see a doctor, get their prescription, or receive care through Medicaid.
Research shows that folks who have continuous health insurance coverage for more than a year are more likely to seek regular and preventative care and have their medical needs met. Unfortunately, many people who get health care through Medicaid can lose it during the year due to monthly fluctuations in income. One week of working overtime can potentially push someone over the income threshold for a single month, costing them and their families their health care.
During the pandemic, federal policymakers recognized the importance of people maintaining their health care coverage and made temporary policy changes so that more folks working in low-wage jobs and their families across the state had health care when they needed it. Our coalition supports making state policy changes this year that build on that experience and allow Minnesotans to remain enrolled in Medicaid for 12 months, regardless of monthly fluctuations in income, and ensure people receive multiple notices before having their health care taken away.
Another critical policy proposal this legislative session would make it easier for Minnesotans with disabilities who are working to afford needed health care and supports through Medicaid. These Minnesotans pay a certain amount each month for this care based on how much they earn. It’s time for policy changes to simplify and reduce the monthly premiums and increase limits on the size of their assets, ensuring more Minnesotans who have disabilities are able to work, build and keep assets, and invest in their futures without fear of losing health care and related supports.
But we won’t be able to make these and other crucial policy changes to ensure all of us have the health care we need if the surplus is used for large, permanent tax cuts. Federal pandemic aid has been critical for our state and for many Minnesotans being able to get through the health and economic crises brought on by the pandemic, but that funding is temporary. Enacting permanent tax cuts now will erode our ability to ensure our families and neighbors receive the health care and supports they need and deserve.
Minnesotans understand what it means to truly care for one another — being able to see a doctor, pay for medication, or receive services to live independently.
We have the chance this year to strengthen Medicaid and ensure those around us are better able to live their full lives, while creating stronger, thriving communities across Minnesota.
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This Is Medicaid is a diverse coalition of nonpartisan organizations from across Minnesota partnering to strengthen Medicaid. These organizations advocate for or directly serve people who receive health care and support through Medicaid.