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MN Legislature: Healthcare Needs Permanent Solutions, Not More Band-Aids

By Aleta Borrud
May 10, 2021

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The Land Stewardship Project believes that in order for our communities to thrive, everyone, regardless of background or zip code, must have access to the healthcare they need. Yet lack of healthcare access and high costs continue to be major financial stresses for all Minnesotans — particularly for rural residents. More people in rural areas lack employer-based insurance or are uninsured than in urban areas. And even with insurance, about half of people are on high deductible insurance plans with such extreme up-front costs to accessing care that people are forgoing or delaying the care they need.

In Minnesota, most legislative efforts in recent years have focused on keeping premium costs down to make purchasing health insurance more affordable. But this has been offset by significant shifting of the cost of care to people in the form of co-pays and co-insurance, in addition to up-front deductibles. Few people, especially after the economic drain of the pandemic, have the resources to pay thousands of dollars out-of-pocket if faced with an emergency hospitalization. As a result, many rural hospitals are operating at a loss, with threat of permanent closure. In addition, other essential components of healthcare in rural Minnesota face shortfalls, such as lack of in-home care workers, nursing home beds, obstetric and mental health services, and volunteer staffing for ambulances.

Our fractured payment system for healthcare fails to guarantee equitable access for all Minnesotans. The billing complexity frustrates medical providers and wastes precious healthcare dollars. Medical providers spend hours obtaining authorization for necessary care for patients, while up to a third of the costs of hospitalization are spent on billing and coding. We must demand better for all our communities if they are to be places where people want to invest their lives.

When access to care is limited by availability, either due to distance or restrictive provider networks, people can’t “shop for care.” It’s time to discard the worn-out call for marketplace solutions as a means of controlling costs. When companies can profit from healthcare, controlling costs means reducing care, such as by closing rural clinics or standing between doctors and the care they want to prescribe for patients. We need to use our collective power, as Minnesota residents, to demand investment in healthcare. We need a publicly funded and publicly administered system of care that takes profit out of the equation and guarantees access to care wherever people live. This is a critical part of the reinvestment needed to rebuild the strength of our rural communities.

We are far from creating the healthcare system we need, but during the 2021 session of the Minnesota Legislature, important efforts were made to lay the groundwork for key changes. The House passed these steps during the regular session:

• Require our state government to report on alternate methods of delivering care and reimbursing medical providers in Minnesota’s public medical insurance programs. This could provide information on possible cost efficiencies of public administration of public health insurance programs.

• Require our state government to develop and report a proposal for a public health insurance option program by December 15, 2021.

• Establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board to control the runaway costs of pharmaceuticals.

• Establish public hearings to review impact on communities before healthcare entities close facilities or reduce services.

In contrast, the Minnesota Senate continues to support “reinsurance,” a program that uses taxpayer dollars to insure insurance companies against losses, while people still go into debt paying for healthcare. LSP argued against using healthcare dollars in this way, as this program does nothing to control significant out-of-pocket costs for people needing to buy insurance on their own in the marketplace. But most importantly, we opposed this because it continues an insurance system that is not making care more affordable and accessible, especially for rural communities, farmers, and our Main Street businesses.

The fundamental change we need in the healthcare system in Minnesota will not happen this year, despite our shared concern. We need to come together in our communities and ask legislators to deliver meaningful solutions instead of replacing Band-Aids.

Join LSP’s Healthcare Hotlist to keep updated on ways you can participate in creating a truly healthy healthcare system in Minnesota.

Aleta Borrud, a retired physician from Rochester, Minn., recently worked as an LSP healthcare organizer.

Category: Blog
Tags: affordable healthcare for all • healthcare • healthcare reform • rural healthcare

Upcoming Events

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August 2025

Friday August 1

All Day
Early Bird Discount Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Class
Friday August 1
Early Bird Discount Deadline for LSP's Farm Beginnings Class

Beginning and prospective farmers are invited to apply to the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course, a year-long training program that focuses on the goal setting, marketing, and financial skills needed to establish a successful farm business. The Farm Beginnings course creates a space for folks to name their vision, acquire the tools and skills needed to make it happen, and become part of a community of support to help them succeed.  

The course will run from November 2025 through March 2026, with some additional educational opportunities to take place later in 2026. 

The deadline for applications is Sept. 1. Early bird applications submitted by Aug. 1 will receive a $100 discount if you are accepted into the class. Partial scholarships are available.

More details are at http://www.farmbeginnings.org or Annelie Livingston-Anderson at annelie@landstewardshipproject.org.

You can apply to the course here.

4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
Friday August 1
4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Roots & Rotation Grazing Field Day
22545 Co Rd 42, Richmond, MN 56368, USA

Roots and Rotation is a summer field day series happening across Minnesota. These field days will discuss the use of livestock for soil health goals in different agricultural systems. 
 
Learn about the benefits of integrating livestock onto cropland and how to make it work on your operation. Hear from experienced farmers and Extension educators specializing in crops, livestock, and soil health. These events are for producers looking to elevate their cropland soil health and increase their forage resources. 

For more information and to register, see the Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association website.

Saturday August 2

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Field Day/Networking Event
Saturday August 2
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
LSP Small Grains Field Day/Networking Event
Madison Mercantile, 601 1st St, Madison, MN 56256, USA

Building on the momentum and popularity of the Land Stewardship Project’s Small Grain Markets Workshop in Albert Lea, Minn., this past winter, we are offering a second free networking event in western Minnesota on Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Madison, Minn. All those curious about small grains are welcome.

We will hear from two western Minnesota farmers who have found success in growing and marketing small grains: Noreen Thomas of Doubting Thomas Farms and Peter Haugen of Sandhill Mill. Additionally, Gilbert Williams, a longtime grain mill operator and small grains procurement expert, will walk us through the processing side of the business. Lunch will be provided.

You can reserve a spot here. 

For more information, contact LSP’s Alex Kiminski 
at akiminski@landstewardshipproject.org.

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sea of Grass 'Prairie Walk & Author Talk'
Saturday August 2
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Sea of Grass 'Prairie Walk & Author Talk'
Lac qui Parle State Park, 14047 20th St NW, Watson, MN 56295, USA

 Join LSP for a book reading and Q & A with Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty, the authors of Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redepmtion of Nature on the American Priaire, at Lac qui Parle State Park. Prior to the book reading, we will go on a guided prairie walk to learn firsthand about the great Minnesotan prairies. Through the event, we will gain an understanding of the history, present, and future of the land and ways to work towards building more sustainable and just food and farming systems that protect our natural ecosystems. You can read a review of Sea of Grass in the current Land Stewardship Letter.
 
To reserve a spot, click here.
 
Schedule: 

  • 3 p.m. – Guided prairie walk with prairie naturalist Amy Rager  
  • 4:30 p.m. – Sea of Grass book reading by authors Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty     
  • 5 p.m. – Q & A with Dave and Josephine   
  • 5:30 p.m. – Discussion and reflection  
  • 6 p.m. – Dinner 

Camping will be available at Lac qui Parle State Park. LSP has reserved a Group Camp Site which is in the lower area of the park and can accommodate up to 50 people. Only tents are allowed — participants will need to bring their own tents and supplies. There is no electrical hookup; water spigot and vault toilets available. Please let us know via the event registration form if you plan to camp at the Group Camp Site.

For more information, contact LSP’s Melody Arteaga at marteaga@landstewardshipproject.org.

Tuesday August 5 – Thursday August 7

Farmfest 2025
Tuesday August 5 – Thursday August 7
Farmfest 2025
28366 County Hwy 13, Morgan, MN 56266, USA

Details are here.

View Full Calendar

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