Latest news with #MinnesotaCare
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Immigrants fear losing crucial health care if Minnesota legislators revoke access
May 29—By Allison Kite, The Minnesota Star Tribune (TNS) MINNEAPOLIS — Micaela has spent three decades tirelessly cleaning houses, working as a clerk and now owns a shop in the Twin Cities that she tends to seven days a week, only closing Christmas and New Year's Day. But those efforts have left telltale signs on her body. She struggles to walk because of debilitating knee pain brought on by years of grueling cleaning work she performed when she first arrived from Mexico. Micaela's daughter, Isis, helps her to and from the car, stocks the shelves and escorts her to the bathroom. Micaela, who only gave her first name because she is undocumented, was hopeful she could finally get treatment when Minnesota opened its state health insurance for low-income residents to undocumented immigrants. She has an appointment scheduled for her knee next month. Now, she's not sure she'll be able to get surgery as the state weighs revoking coverage for Micaela and thousands of fellow immigrants under a budget deal struck between lawmakers in St. Paul. She said she's leaning on her faith for support. "God knows what we can do at this point," Micaela said via translator. "We just — we're at His mercy." The Minnesota Democratic trifecta voted in 2023 to open MinnesotaCare to undocumented immigrants, but since the program began in January, enrollment has far exceeded expectations. The state had projected about 5,800 people to sign-up by the end of March, but more than 17,000 people entered the program. By the end of April, enrollments hit more than 20,000. Only about 4,300 enrollees have had appointments for which the state has paid out, but Republicans warn the costs of the program may balloon as additional claims roll in. Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders struck a budget agreement this month that would remove undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare but allow children to remain on the program. Approximately one-quarter of enrollees are minors, according to the state. The deal, which has not yet been approved by the Minnesota Legislature, has been met with backlash from progressive lawmakers and organizations that advocate for immigrants. In the two weeks since the deal was announced, protesters at the Capitol have shamed Walz and legislative leaders and accused them of abandoning immigrants. Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL-Minneapolis, criticized Republicans, who have made rolling back MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants a priority this legislative session. "It is especially sad that they have injected into the conversation that some people must simply be left to die because their costs are too expensive," Agbaje said at a news conference at the Capitol. Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, said the costs to provide coverage are too great and Minnesota shouldn't "incentivize illegal immigration" by providing benefits like MinnesotaCare. He said his constituents and neighbors are glad to see the Legislature "put Minnesotans first." He noted that Illinois and California are scaling back coverage or pausing enrollment in health plans for undocumented immigrants because of the costs. "It's actually quite unusual to have a broad-based, taxpayer-funded healthcare benefit for illegal immigrants," Rasmusson said, "and in the states that have tried it, it hasn't worked." When Micaela first came to the U.S, she was often required by employers to scrub floors on her hands and knees. After a while, the physical demands of the work took their toll on her joints. "There's not a single day or minute that she doesn't pass with pain," her daughter Isis said via a translator. When Micaela's not at work, she's resting to prepare herself for another day. Micaela said she tried to buy health insurance in the private market, but she couldn't without a Social Security number. She inquired about paying out of pocket for surgery to help with her knee pain, but she can't afford it. Sitting behind the counter of her store, which sells probiotics and other items, Micaela said she doesn't like to ask for handouts. "It gives us shame to even think about being supported by government," Micaela said, "but the thing is, I haven't asked for anything at this point, and I pay for taxes when I run my business." "Everything I've done, I still can't afford to even cover my surgeries," she added. Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez's father also faces the possibility of losing his access to health insurance as he undergoes treatment for cancer. Chavez spoke about his father's diagnosis in a news conference at the Capitol earlier this month. He had been keeping his father's illness relatively private, he said in an interview, but decided to go public in the hope that " would think about not stripping health care away from our most vulnerable community members." "For my father," Chavez said, "I had to." Chavez said his father did not want to be interviewed. Chavez joined Agbaje and other lawmakers in the People of Color and Indigenous, or POCI, Caucus at the Capitol to urge their colleagues to protect MinnesotaCare. He criticized Democratic legislative leaders for using health care "as a bargaining chip to balance a budget" and said Democrats' top priority had been protecting health care access "for all Minnesotans." "I'm disappointed that that isn't a priority anymore," he said. On social media, he said he was "extremely disappointed" that Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, signed off on the deal given Democrats control the Senate by a one-vote majority. "We won't forget that your re-election is next year," he wrote. POCI Caucus members pounded on the door of the governor's reception room as Walz, Murphy and House leaders announced their proposed budget deal, accusing them of "killing our communities." Faith groups have held news conferences at the Capitol and read stories of immigrants like Micaela hoping to sway lawmakers. A factory worker in southern Minnesota lost a foot to diabetes she couldn't consistently manage, said Melissa Gonzalez, a pastor at Tapestry Richfield. Now on MinnesotaCare, she has access to insulin and regular doctor's appointments. Murphy and House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, have said the decision was a difficult one. "I'm not at all surprised that this is the response," Murphy said as DFL lawmakers and others pounded on the door two weeks ago. "They are Minnesotans," she said. "They work in our communities. They work with and alongside us. They go to church with us. They are our neighbors." With a tied House and a razor-thin Democratic majority in the Senate, legislative leaders are struggling to put together a budget. Lawmakers adjourned May 19 without a budget, and with each week that passes, Minnesota draws closer to a partial government shutdown. Whether to end MinnesotaCare for people like Micaela has proven among the most contentious issues and could make it difficult for leaders to get DFL votes for a budget deal without health care for immigrants. Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley, who volunteers as an emergency medical technician, said he feels compassion for those who need access to health care, but lawmakers have to ensure the system is solvent to serve "law-abiding Minnesotans." Backer, co-chair of the House Health Finance and Policy Committee, said he has to "look at the whole ecosystem of our healthcare system." Micaela's appointment for her knee is just around the corner, and as she awaits treatment, she's heartbroken that MinnesotaCare might be revoked. To keep her spirits up, though it's exhausting, she says she'll keep coming to work.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Immigrant rights activists protest plan to end low-cost health insurance for undocumented adults
Demonstrators gather for a protest organized by the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee calling for the continuation of MinnesotaCare for undocumented adults outside of the Governor's Reception Room at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Minnesota immigrants voiced outrage Tuesday about a planned rollback of a law that allowed undocumented adults to access low-cost health insurance. Dozens of immigrant rights activists chanted in English and Spanish outside the governor's reception room in the Capitol Tuesday afternoon, slamming Gov. Tim Walz and his fellow Democrats for making a deal with Republicans to end undocumented adults' eligibility in MinnesotaCare, the state-subsidized health insurance program for the working poor. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor-controlled 2023 Legislature opened up MinnesotaCare to undocumented Minnesotans. Undocumented people could start enrolling in MinnesotaCare on Jan. 1; roughly 20,000 are now on the rolls. If the deal goes through as expected, however, their coverage would expire at the end of the year. Walz and DFL legislative leaders Rep. Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy need Republican support to craft a two-year state budget because Republicans share control of the House, 67-67. If lawmakers don't pass a budget by the end of June, state government will shut down. Budget bills — many of them still outstanding — will require Republican support to pass the House, and Republicans have made kicking undocumented immigrants off of MinnesotaCare a top priority in negotiations. Walz and DFL leaders joined Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth at a press conference on May 15 announcing a budget deal that included removing undocumented adults, but not children, from MinnesotaCare. 'Why should immigrants continue to vote for the Democratic party?' immigrant rights activist and Minneapolis City Council candidate Emilio Rodríguez said to the crowd on Tuesday. He also criticized 'pro-life' Republican politicians who support the revocation of health care for immigrants. 'DFL, shame on you. Immigrants are people too,' protesters chanted. They also repeated a slogan long used in Latin America to protest tyrannical governments: 'El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,' which means 'the people united will never be defeated.' Walz wasn't in the reception room during the protest; he was receiving a briefing from the National Guard at the time, a spokesperson said. José Méndez, a Mexico-born mechanic and immigrant rights activist, said he's thankful to have health insurance through his job, but he has several friends who were only able to access health insurance when MinnesotaCare expanded eligibility in January. For Méndez, the rollback of health insurance for undocumented adults is just one of the many abuses immigrants have suffered in the United States: low pay, racism, discrimination by law enforcement officers. Republicans who control the federal government are ramping up deportations and revoking other benefits from immigrants. Méndez is also opposed to a proposed tax on remittances — money that immigrants send to their family in their home country — included in the U.S. House Republican tax bill. 'Now they want to take away our health care,' Méndez said in Spanish. 'Instead of helping us, they want to screw us over even more.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seeking budget deal by end of May, MN lawmakers work Memorial Day weekend
State lawmakers plan to work through the Memorial Day weekend to finalize Minnesota's next $66 billion, two-year budget, which they failed to pass by Monday's legislative deadline. Leaders hope they can wrap up negotiations between the House — evenly split between Republican and Democratic-Farmer-Labor members — and the DFL-led Senate by early next week, so that Gov. Tim Walz can call them back for a special session to pass a budget before the end of the month. If they don't, state employees will get layoff notices starting June 1 warning of a potential government shutdown in July. The fiscal year ends June 30, and the Legislature has to authorize new spending before then in order to keep the state running. 'Working groups' have been meeting since Tuesday, mostly in private, to finalize details on big spending areas like K-12 education and health and human services, which account for two-thirds of state general fund spending. 'Even though it's slower than we would like, things are going well. It doesn't appear that anyone has quit or given up, and that is a very good sign,' Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth of Cold Spring told reporters Thursday. 'Our expectation is they'll be here working until they can come up with an agreement and move it forward.' There's been progress on a handful of bills, but as of Friday evening, there was no public information on final deals for taxes or the biggest parts of state spending. A controversial provision in the budget deal reached by legislative leaders and the governor last week may be slowing progress on the health bill. DFLers and Republicans agreed to end state-funded MinnesotaCare health insurance for adults in the U.S. without legal immigration status, a benefit DFLers created while in control of state government in 2023. Republicans agreed to preserve care for children, but many Democrats remain strongly opposed. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy of St. Paul wants MinnesotaCare cuts to travel as a separate bill, but Republicans want it to run with the overall health package. At a Thursday joint news conference with Demuth, House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman of Brooklyn Park said they hadn't resolved the matter. Both the DFL and Republican House leaders said they're confident Walz will sign all parts of the budget deal into law and still would approve cuts to immigrant care even if it traveled separately from a broader health bill. Further complicating matters are the unique dynamics of co-leaders from both parties in the House working with the DFL majority in the Senate. The last time the House was tied was in 1979. Murphy called the House a 'two-headed monster.' 'It's been more challenging than usual to sew this all together,' she told reporters on Thursday. Working groups have already passed their leadership-imposed Wednesday deadline to finish work on bills, so leaders from both parties said they are getting more closely involved. They haven't moved to take over the bills for committee chairs yet, but the option remains on the table. Murphy said she was skipping cabin plans for the weekend to make sure work gets done. As of Friday, most negotiations have taken place in hearings that are not publicly posted or open to the general public. A few key budget pieces had public hearings on Thursday — K-12 and human services — though the tax bill has been the only part that has had daily public hearings since the working group process started. The Legislature only passed a handful of the 20 or so budget bills in the regular session. On Thursday, Hortman said the commerce, workforce and human services bills were close to completion. While there had been some trouble with energy and K-12 education, most of the budget deals were approaching completion. House leadership sent Reps. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, and Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, to help mediate. As of Friday, it was unclear if they were any closer to a deal. 'The only ones that are very far from having a fully formed bill ready to post is probably taxes and maybe health,' Hortman said Thursday. 'The rest of them I think you are going to see posted spreadsheets soon and posted language not too long after that.' Inmate rights groups demand say in Stillwater prison closure plan Matt Ehling: This open-meeting law change is a problem. Undo it, legislators MN Legislature: Budget negotiations go behind closed doors Legislature begins work on budget deal ahead of special session MN Legislature: Pension changes for teachers goes to governor to sign
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Effort to create state budget continues at Minnesota Capitol mostly out of public view
May 15, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) Minnesota lawmakers continued meeting mostly behind closed doors Wednesday to come to an agreement on the biggest budget bills to fund state government, including education and health and human services. Lawmakers have a self-imposed deadline of 5 p.m. Wednesday to finish their work, which they will likely blow through. They are trying to come to an agreement on over a dozen budget and policy bills after the narrowly divided Legislature adjourned Monday. Gov. Tim Walz has said he will not call legislators back for a special session until all the budget bills are agreed to in the tied 67-67 House and in the Senate, where Democrats have a one seat majority. Only Walz can call lawmakers back into session, but only legislators can adjourn once they're in session. Lawmakers are working to pass a $66 billion to $67 billion two-year budget that will fund everything from schools to parks to health care and services for people with disabilities. The state is grappling with a structural deficit that's arisen from the rapidly increasing costs of special education and caring for an aging population. Given the Republican refusal to agree to any new tax revenue, lawmakers are looking to trim spending. Most consequentially, Gov. Tim Walz and DFL leaders agreed — at Republicans' behest — to remove undocumented adults from MinnesotaCare, the state's subsidized health insurance for the working poor. Children will still be enrolled. Lawmakers have to pass a budget by June 30 or the government will shut down. Legislators over the past few days have been meeting in informal 'working groups,' which include members of both parties from the House and Senate. If the working groups can't come to an agreement by Wednesday, legislative leaders and Walz will take over negotiations. The only working group to meet in public has been taxes; Senate and House members have exchanged several offers. But the working group has frequently adjourned on recesses to consider the offers in private. Open government advocates have criticized the private nature of the legislative work. 'The public has ZERO way of knowing who to hold accountable,' Common Cause Minnesota wrote on X. The Star Tribune reported that one of their reporters was kicked out of a working group meeting. House DFL caucus leader Melissa Hortman told reporters on Monday that negotiations must occur behind closed doors, especially among leadership, so they can speak candidly. 'It just doesn't work. You need people to be able to say what's their bottom line and to make their emotional pitch,' Hortman said. 'People have to really show their cards, so that is a space that has not ever and probably will not ever be transparent.' Hortman said that if lawmakers can't reach a deal by Friday, they will have to work over Memorial Day weekend. The earliest a special session could occur is Friday, she said, though next week is more likely. Walz said he would like to pass a budget before June 1, because that's when the state will be obligated to send layoff notices to state employees if there is no budget by then, and leaders want to avoid that.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minnesota lawmakers fail to finish budget before deadline, special session awaits
Minnesota's legislative session gaveled to a close Monday night, with lawmakers yet to reach an agreement on the two-year budget bills needed to avoid a government shutdown. Huge pieces of legislation, such as the health and human services budget, have yet to be finalized and a special session could begin as soon as later this week. Conference committees became working groups Wednesday and caucus leaders could step in and takeover the work if working groups become stalled. "This is probably the hardest session I've ever been a part of, with so many twists and turns from the very beginning of the session," DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy told reporters Monday. GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth and other Republicans have blamed Democrats for the incomplete work, citing the 23-day delay to the start of the House's work as Democrats staged a walkout amid disagreement over power-sharing responsibilities, as Republicans threatened not to seat one of its lawmakers. "Hard decisions still have to be made and then we will come back when the Governor calls us to finish up the work for Minnesotans and then get back into our districts," Demuth said Monday. Determining how MinnesotaCare health insurance should apply to undocumented immigrants is the biggest unresolved conflict between lawmakers this session. Walz and legislative leaders reached an agreement to roll back coverage for an estimated 15,000 undocumented adults, but allow undocumented children to remain eligible for coverage. However, the plan did not make it to a vote before the session adjourned after protest from some Democrats. "The thing that is frustrating for me on this question is that our Republican colleagues continue to pose it as a financial issue - this is not a financial savings to the state of Minnesota," Murphy said. "It will cost Minnesota more money, this action, and it'll cause pain and suffering for some." A wide range of budget bills, including legislation related to higher education, transportation and taxes, are still being finalized. Murphy said she's hopeful everything will be buttoned up in the next couple of days, allowing the special session to convene later this week or early next week. The DFL controls the Senate with a one-vote majority and the House is tied and operating under a power-sharing agreement.
