Land Stewardship Project

Land Stewardship Project
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Long Range Plan
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
      • LSP Board Committees
    • LSP Steering Committees & Working Groups
    • Contact Us
    • Past LSP Projects
    • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
    • LSP Publications
    • Financial Statements
  • The Latest
    • Community Care
    • Songs for the Soil
    • CSA Farm Directory
    • Upcoming Events
    • News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • LSP in the News
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Land Stewardship Letter
    • LIVE-WIRE Sign-up
    • Myth Busters
    • Fact Sheets
    • Farm Crisis Resources
  • For Farmers & Landowners
    • Farmland Clearinghouse
    • New Farmers
      • Farm Beginnings Class
      • Journeyperson Course
      • Farm Dreams
      • Accessing Farmland
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Beginning Farmer Profiles
    • Retiring Farmers & Landowners
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Farm Transition Planning Course
      • Conservation Leases
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Land Transition Tools
      • Transition Stories
    • Soil Health
      • Cover Crops
      • Grazing
      • No-till
      • Microbiology
      • Soil Builders’ Network
      • Soil Builders’ E-Letters
      • Soil Health Steering Committee Members
    • Cropping Systems Calculator
    • Conservation Leases
  • Creating Change
    • Community-Based Food Systems
    • Policy Campaigns
      • Soil Health & Climate Change
      • Healthcare
      • Factory Farms
        • Anti-Competitiveness & Price Gouging
        • LSP Powerline Story Center
      • Federal Policy
        • A Farm Bill For Us
      • State Policy
        • MN Farm, Food & Climate Funding
      • Developing Leadership
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Get Involved
    • Take Action!
    • Upcoming Events
    • Land Stewardship Action Fund
    • Connect with LSP
      • Stay Connected
      • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
      • Shop
      • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
      • Legacy Giving
    • Network with LSP Members
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Soil Health
    • Farmland Clearinghouse
  • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
  • Stay Connected
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Search
More...

In Final Weeks of Session, State Lawmakers Push Healthcare Cuts & Threaten MinnesotaCare

May 9, 2017

Share

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • email

Farmers, Nurses, Care Providers & People of Faith Question Major Cuts in Time of Budget Surplus

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — State lawmakers are pushing public healthcare cuts that could affect more than a million Minnesotans. The Legislature has less than three weeks to agree on a state budget with Governor Mark Dayton, but the Republican legislative leadership differs greatly on how to use the budget surplus.

The Legislature is looking to cut funding for human services by $500 million, which includes funding for hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities and community resources. The budget also counts on reductions from new audits to remove Minnesotans from Medical Assistance coverage.

The changes could pose serious consequences for the 1.2 million Minnesotans who are enrolled in the state’s public health plans. Cuts to Medical Assistance target low-income families with children, rather than older adults and people with disabilities who also qualify for the program.

“All these ‘reforms’ mean people are going to die needlessly,” said Rose Roach, Executive Director of the Minnesota Nurses Association. “How do we negotiate or compromise on who lives and who dies? Nurses strongly oppose these disastrous cuts to life-affirming and lifesaving programs.”

Lawmakers also included a measure to end MNsure, the state’s exchange for individuals buying health insurance. It would move Minnesota to the federal insurance marketplace. According to advocates, the change would have serious consequences for working families.

“MinnesotaCare is not compatible with the federal exchange,” said David Zaffrann, Health Care Program Manager at TakeAction Minnesota. “There may be no way for the 100,000 people enrolled in MinnesotaCare to sign up for the program. This is a major concern, and there’s little public knowledge about what it would mean to shut down MNsure.”

State officials have also raised concerns about these methods for reducing spending. In a letter to key legislators, Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper said, “Achieving savings in human services programs requires specificity: who is losing eligibility, whose rates are being reduced or what benefits are being eliminated. There are no shortcuts or painless ways to make these reductions.”

The latest proposal offered by the House and Senate counts on a variety of cost-savings tricks. It removes inflation from budget forecasts, delays payments to insurance companies, and bets on savings from new bidding and payment systems.

Rural hospitals and clinics also expressed concern in committee hearings. State healthcare for people with disabilities, older adults, and low- to moderate-income households, along with Medicare, make up a substantial portion of care in Greater Minnesota.

Lawmakers have already passed major—and controversial—healthcare bills this session.

In January, the Legislature approved $300 million to help lower premiums for people who bought individual health insurance policies in 2017. It also passed a bill to allow Minnesota’s nonprofit health insurance companies to convert to for-profit entities. In April, the legislature approved “reinsurance,” a $540 million subsidy to health insurance companies over the next two years in an attempt to stabilize the individual market.

The regular legislative session adjourns May 22. If lawmakers do not work out an agreement on the budget by then, a special session could be required to finish the job.

“Healthcare is a big concern for every family,” said Mark Schultz, executive director of the Land Stewardship Project. “MinnesotaCare is a lifeline for many farmers, small businesses, and working people in Greater Minnesota. Our members are paying close attention these final weeks of the session.”

-30-

Additional information:

1. Letter from Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Emily Piper to legislators.

2. County-level data on the numbers of Minnesotans who could be affected by public health insurance program cuts can be found on the DHS website at https://mn.gov/dhs/aca-repeal. The map at this site shows the number of adults ages 18-64 who have gained coverage through the expansion of Medicaid, and does not include children, people with disabilities, or the elderly. This gives a local snapshot of how many families could be affected by cuts.

Category: News Releases

Contact

Paul Sobocinski, LSP, 507-430-1509, e-mail

Montevideo

111 North First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

180 E. Main Street
Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

Minneapolis

821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Land Stewardship Project. All rights reserved.

https://landstewardshipproject.org/in-final-weeks-of-session-state-lawmakers-push-healthcare-cuts-threaten-minnesotacare