This Is Medicaid

05/18/2026

At a recent press conference, rural health leaders & advocates warned that changes in H.R. 1 could deepen the maternal health and hospital access crisis already impacting communities across Greater Minnesota.

“Labor and delivery care in rural Minnesota has been shutting down in rural hospitals over the past several years,” said Rebecca Polston of Roots Community Birth Center. “We’ve seen a 25% reduction over the past two decades.”

“We are losing the ability to deliver our own babies.” Rick Ash of United Hospital District, a critical access hospital in south central Minnesota, shared that it is the only hospital still delivering babies between a 135 mile stretch along I-90. “This is not theoretical. This is about whether rural Minnesota families will still have access to emergency care, primary care, behavioral health, and the ability to safely deliver a baby close to home. A different ZIP code should never mean a lower standard of health care.”

Photo credit: Minnesota Hospital Association

05/15/2026

At last week’s press conference, health care experts raised concerns about new work reporting requirements beginning in January could cause eligible Minnesotans to lose their health coverage.

Matt Anderson of University of Minnesota School of Public Health explained that the majority of these individuals already meet the requirements because they are working, caregiving, or otherwise exempt due to disability.

“Put simply, this is not just about changing who qualifies for Medicaid,” Anderson said. “It’s about requiring eligible people to prove it—over and over and over—knowing that some of them will eventually slip up and lose coverage even though they are eligible.”

Photo credit: Minnesota Hospital Association

05/08/2026

When developing new work reporting requirements for this session, Minnesota policymakers should broadly define exemptions while increasing flexibility for enrollment and enforcement. They should minimize red tape through simplifying processes and strengthening the eligibility and enrollment process, otherwise, people risk losing essential health care even if they remain eligible.

05/05/2026

Right now, Minnesota policymakers are grappling with how to implement new federal rules for including requiring some folks to report how many hours they work or volunteer. They should act this year to protect access to health care through flexibility, offering clear definitions, and streamlining processes, so people continue to get the health care they need.

05/04/2026

New federal rules enacted as part of the sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill passed last July will bring significant and disruptive changes to how Minnesota funds and delivers Medical Assistance to Minnesotans. We’re calling on state policymakers to act this session to protect Minnesotans’ access to health care services and supports.

04/17/2026

What we're reading: Minnesota up against the clock on changes:

Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature say they need to either pass legislation or update existing rules soon to ensure that state programs comply with new requirements from the federal government.

04/13/2026

An excellent article about the threats to and how it is critical to rural Minnesota economies.

Small, outstate communities tend to rely more on funding from programs like Medicaid that face deep cuts under the 2025 federal budget.

04/08/2026

A look back: Discussion on what's behind the financial crisis at HCMC. Take a listen:

Hennepin Healthcare’s flagship hospital faces a financial crisis, and county leaders hope to save it with a sales tax. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the financial crisis at HCMC and how hospitals are struggling in the face of rising costs and Medicaid cuts.

12/08/2025

We're reading: "We can do better. We must listen more closely to people with disabilities and their families."

It doesn’t have to be this way, Amy S. Hewitt writes.

10/14/2025

We're reading about a survey of people in Idaho who get their health care through expansion, many of whom work at large companies that don't provide health insurance. Read more:

Hundreds of Idaho employees for major companies, colleges and governments are on Medicaid expansion, new state report shows.