Minnesota has plenty of jobs, but health insurance? No
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Some of the fastest growing sectors of the Minnesota economy are hospitality and retail, which traditionally offer lower wage part-time jobs that do not offer health insurance benefits.
Cierra Brown, 19, has worked at Sam’s Club for five months and recently got promoted to a full-time position that she hopes will make her eligible for the company health plan. She’s worked for other retailers, including Target and Cub Foods, that did not offer her benefits. For two years she has been enrolled in MinnesotaCare, a companion program to Medicaid that has slightly higher income limits.
Single adults like Brown must make less than $24,280 to qualify.
“We make people feel ashamed that they are on some kind of assistance,” she said. “But they are not paying enough on these jobs for people to afford private insurance. I don’t feel ashamed, because I know it helps me.”
Even though many uninsured Americans are young and healthy, research has shown that having coverage increases the chance that people will get regular medical care and preventive services.
“Health insurance is so important because there are so many [people] that go untreated,” said Brown, who relies on the insurance for medications and mental health therapy visits.
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