Join us and our friends at NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota, UnRestrict Minnesota, and dozens of other organizations for Reproductive Freedom Lobby Day 2020. The day will start with a How to Lobby 101 workshop followed by meetings with your legislators. Thank your pro-choice representatives or to talk to your anti-choice representatives about why abortion access and reproductive freedom matter to you.
We will end the day with a rally in the Capitol’s Rotunda to celebrate and plot how to maintain, and expand, access in Minnesota.
Make sure you register so we can schedule a meeting with your representatives.… Continue reading »
Join Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General, and Wendell Potter, advocate and whistleblower, for a Medicare for All Town Hall at Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.
The discussion will be moderated by Rose Roach, Executive Director of the Minnesota Nurses Association.
We want to center our community’s stories in the 2020 legislative session and elections, because we know our stories are powerful. Join us for a storyteller training, reclaiming and sharing our experiences around care, criminal justice reform, and economic inequality.
Dinner will be provided. Childcare available upon request. All TakeAction events are wheelchair accessible, either on the ground floor or with access to an elevator. Any accessibility requests sent to the organizer will be honored as much as the location allows.… Continue reading »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2019
Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, 612-386-9556
NEWS STATEMENT
TakeAction Minnesota Statement on 5th Circuit Court Affordable Care Act DecisionSt. Paul—Today, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals announced their decision to uphold the position of Republicans in Texas vs. United States, finding the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, and sending other provisions back to a District Court judge who already ruled the entire law unconstitutional.
The entire Affordable Care Act will be on the chopping block in 2020, threatening health care for 17 million people enrolled in Medicaid.
TakeAction Minnesota released the following statement:
“We believe that no matter where we live, what we look like, or how much money we make, everyone deserves care, no exception. We strongly condemn the decision of the 5th Circuit Court to repeal the Affordable Care, siding with corporate-backed Republicans that have vowed to repeal the health care law since it passed.
We know that the consequences of this court decision will be devastating, and Republicans have no plan to fund Medicaid-expansion or MinnesotaCare. This is is their playbook: the GOP will kick millions of people off health care to finance tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.… Continue reading »
By: Ashley Northey
The only abortion clinic in Northern Minnesota, WE Health Clinic, is situated in downtown Duluth. The unassuming stone building is distinguished only by the large words on the front: “Building for Women.”
WE Health Clinic has provided reproductive health care since 1981, co-founded by Tina Welsh and Dr. Jane Hodgson. Jane was one of the first and only doctors in the country to be convicted for providing an abortion in a hospital in 1970. Tina has been a leader in Duluth feminism for decades and still fights for gender equity in the Twin Ports today. Together, Jane and Tina decided to open the Building for Women in 1993, with WE Health Clinic as one of the tenants.
Reproductive health care. Abortion services. Sexual assault aid. Domestic and intimate partner violence support. LGBTQ advocacy. Building for Women is more than a building—it’s a home for feminist organizations and providers.
It’s here, outside this historic building rich with feminist activism, that “40 Days for Life” gathers every fall to host a 24/7 vigil to oppose abortion. And where, for the past three years, I have helped organize counter protests to affirm peoples’ right to safe and legal abortion.
We were and are a family of folks showing up with love, care, and joy for abortion access.
I remember going to my first Party on the Plaza—the kickoff to our counter protest “40 Days of Choice.” … Continue reading »
At this event, we’ll be diving into reproductive justice. Join us to learn what it is, how we’re using this framework at TakeAction, and find your role in the fight for reproductive freedom. All are welcome to attend.
The Vendetta Vixens and Nakita’s Kittens have joined forces for a St. Cloud Pride burlesque show benefiting TakeAction Minnesota. We believe sexual freedom, LGBTQ rights, and reproductive justice are interconnected. We asked a few of Nakita’s Kittens why, as burlesque performers, reproductive justice is important to them. Read their responses.
“As the producer of the Vendetta Vixens and Nakita’s Kittens, I encourage all my performers to express their own individuality not only on stage, but also in everyday life. Women should be able to live their lives freely and do what they want with their body, however they please. Reproductive justice to me means taking my body back, embracing my perfections and imperfections, and being able to strongly make my own decisions.”
Nakita Kat
Photo Credit: Annie Meyer
“In the burlesque community, we accept all forms of the human body, and we express ourselves physically through dance and artistic expression. We don’t want limitations placed on our bodies, and this includes reproductive rights. The LGBTQ community still has to fight for the right to bodily autonomy. Reproductive justice means safe and accessible clinics for anybody who needs them, and we must ease the legal and financial barriers to medical care.… Continue reading »
By: Performer Justin Uranus
My name is Andy, but my stage name is Justin Uranus. I have been a performer for my whole life, but my burlesque journey started out as a drag king in the St. Cloud community. Eventually I found my way to burlesque as I worked to find my comfort zone when it comes to gender.
DEFINING GENDER ON MY TERMS
As a king I saw others do gender-bending performances and it gave me permission to feel more comfortable messing with the binary.
Photo credit: Nakita’s Kittens/ B. Sens Photography
When I first started burlesque, I was trying to balance femininity as a nonbinary trans man. When I started living as a man, there were a lot of expectations for me to be hyper masculine—and I knew that wasn’t who I was.
As a king I saw others do gender-bending performances and it gave me permission to feel more comfortable messing with the binary. Seeing other people being their beautiful nonbinary selves, especially in St. Cloud, helped me recognize, “Oh, there is nothing stopping me from also doing that.”
That is why reproductive justice is so powerful to me, because it helps me navigate the boxes society has put me in and decide what is best for me.… Continue reading »
Nelsie Yang (center) stands at a Planned Parenthood Day of Solidarity Rally.
At a young age, I recognized how the systems we live in limit the choices we have about our bodies. I grew up believing the implicit (and sometimes explicit) messages telling me that I had no decision over my body and sexuality. In general, society made those decisions for me. I was told what I could and could not do, what I could and could not believe. Like many others, I learned from an early age that sex and pregnancy were not okay—especially before marriage.
I was told what happened to women and women’s bodies was our fault, and that we had to deal with the consequences on our own. The result was young women in my community — specifically my Hmong community — grow up with a lot of shame.
I found myself stuck between the abstinence-only and anti-choice messages I was surrounded by and my own values of care, community, and agency. Then, when I was 14, my friend got pregnant.
In that moment, I had to decide who and what I believed in.
My friend was scared and nervous. She confided in me, and, as her friend, I responded by supporting her the way she needed to be supported.… Continue reading »
We believe in a world where everyone has the care they deserve. Join us to share our stories about caring and being cared for, make some art, and build toward a world would where had access to the care they need. Childcare will be available.
Hundreds of people turned out last week when Representative Ilhan Omar arrived at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport, the terminal erupting into chants of “Welcome home” as the legislator walked through the door.
Even more people showed up for the event Rep. Omar was in town for—a Medicare for All community conversation with Rep. Pramila Jayapal. The room of reportedly 500 people gave a standing ovation when Rep. Omar walked to the stage to introduce the panelists: Rose Roach, Executive Director of the Minnesota Nurses Association, Erin Murphy, Former Minnesota House of Representatives Majority Leader, Minnesota Senator Melisa Franzen, and Dave Dvorak, M.D.
So proud to Introduce my friend, my colleague, my sister Rep. @IlhanMN at her townhall @SabathaniMN Community Center pic.twitter.com/DPAuoKTAVp
— Andrea Jenkins (@annapoetic) July 19, 2019
“I know that there are a lot of people who are trying to distract us now. But I want all of you to know: We are not going to let them,” Rep. Omar kicked off her introduction to the room.
You can watch the whole livestream here. No time? That’s okay! Keep scrolling and we’ll fill you in.
Photo from Rep. Jayapal Campaign Website
Medicare for All is a simple health care system that reflects our values:
We are in a moment where the City Council is wrestling with what to do with Councilmember who make xenophobic comments and supports racist organizations. At the same time, we have presidential candidates broadening their platforms to be more representative of America.
Because of these things we are planning to host a political education meeting that includes training and resources on economic justice, environmental justice and care justice with a racial just lens.
As you can see the theme is focused around justice, how we make our communities more just and how do we fight for that in a way that brings people in rather than push people out. As we are pulled into the 2020 cycle its important that we focus on what is best for the St Cloud community. This is part of that conversation!
Please register here. Share on Facebook here!
Childcare and transportation are available if requested by the 22th.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions!… Continue reading »
When I saw a training to become an abortion doula through SPIRAL Collective, I mostly went out of curiosity. A doula is a companion that provides information, physical, and emotional support. Doulas have been around since ancient times across all cultures. There are birth doulas, postpartum doulas, abortion doulas, even death doulas. They manifest as our grandmothers, aunties, and sisters—wizened from knowledge and experience.
The abortion doula training introduced me to reproductive justice—the idea that all people should have the means necessary to access the information, resources, and emotional, physical, social, and political support they need, to be who they are and create and sustain the types of families and communities they desire.
The values my parents rooted in me— honoring and trusting my agency, recognizing the abundance within community, and a responsibility to care for others—were made real in the framework of reproductive justice.
I’m proud of the care I provide as an abortion doula. It honors the values imparted on me by my parents in ways I could never imagine.
My mother and father (my father has since passed) are immigrants and political refugees. They came to America after the Secret War. My mother tells the story of how my grandmother came here with a jar of Vaseline (she was obsessed, apparently) and crossed mountains, jungles, and rivers with it.… Continue reading »
We believe that our movement is only possible through working together in community to create our vision for the world. We will be celebrating and reflecting on the progressive vision for Minnesota that we built this year. Come by and hear from community leaders who testified, doorknocked, phonebanked, and more during this session to create a healthcare system in Minnesota that is accessible, affordable, and inclusive.
Food provided!
By: Sunshine Hedlund
In 2012, I left a job that I did not like, though it had good insurance, to become a nanny—a job I love. I assumed I could get an individual insurance policy, but I was denied due to pre-existing conditions. Their reasons? Past kidney stones, polycystic ovary syndrome, and a height to weight ratio insurers deemed unacceptable though I was otherwise healthy.
Minnesota’s high-risk pool’s premiums were far too expensive for limited benefits. In fact, it was so costly that it was cheaper for me to pay for COBRA benefits through my former employer, which was still ridiculously expensive.
Fortunately, soon after my COBRA benefits ended, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was in place and I secured an affordable plan through MNSure. Thanks to the ACA, we were also able to get insurance for my husband, who had been uninsured for years due to the cost.
I want politicians to know that these are real people, real lives that they are hurting. Real lives they are impacting with their votes.
Then in 2014, after years of trying, I got pregnant. When we reapplied through MNSure, I (and my baby) ended up qualifying for Medical Assistance—which was huge for us.… Continue reading »
Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, 612-386-9556
NEWS STATEMENT TakeAction Minnesota calls on Sen. Benson to support provisions that prevent a legal health care heist with HMO conversionsST. PAUL–In 2017, the Legislature repealed Minnesota’s longstanding ban on for-profit health plans, without any regulations or guidelines on HMO conversions to for-profit companies. Minnesota’s nonprofit health plans have nearly $7 billion in assets and reserves that belong in the public interest. Without action from the Legislature this session, for-profit companies will be legally allowed to privatize billions of dollars in public health care money through nonprofit HMO conversions, starting July 1, 2019.
TakeAction Minnesota released the following statement, calling on Health and Human Services Chair Senator Michelle Benson to work with the House to pass bipartisan regulations around HMO conversions, and to prevent companies like Medica from transferring our health care dollars out of state and to for-profit companies:
“Our legislators are responsible for stopping a legal health care heist, with nearly $7 billion on the line. We’re calling on Senator Michelle Benson, Senate chair of the HHS conference committee, to work with the House on passing strong public protections.… Continue reading »
Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, 612-386-9556
NEWS RELEASE
With 6 Days Left of Session, GOP Senators Ignore Constituents, Advocates, and Hospitals on the Health Care Provider TaxSt. Paul, Minnesota—Every state in the country except Alaska has a provider tax to pay for Medicaid and critical health care programs. Last night, Senator Gazelka announced that preserving Minnesota’s health care provider tax was “off the table” in budget negotiations.
Today, the Minnesota Department of Human Services released new county-level data on the human and economic impact of Medicaid across the state.
The DHS report includes mandatory and optional Medicaid services, laying the Medicaid services the state can cut if the GOP drains the health care access fund. This includes Medicaid-expansion—health care for Minnesotans without dependent children living in poverty with disabilities—as well as emergency hospital services, dental care, care for children with disabilities, clinic services, screening and prevention and more. (p.47)
For Minnesotans enrolled in Medicaid, Republican attacks on health care have been persistent under the Trump Administration, and now those threats are at home.
For months, constituents enrolled in Medicaid and MinnesotaCare have lobbied their Senators to protect critical funding for health care.
In Sterns County, 20.7% of residents are enrolled in Medicaid.… Continue reading »
At the end of April, I, along with other constituents in St. Cloud, spoke with Sen. Relph about why the provider tax is so critical to our health. I shared my dental story—how my teeth have rotted because of lack of coverage. Sen. Relph refused to commit to protecting our health care.
Last week, when I saw him at the Capitol, I asked him yet again to vote with the people and protect the provider tax.
Instead of listening to my story, Sen. Relph talked down to me. He raised his voice at me. And then he walked away from me. And all I could think was this: he doesn’t care.
WATCH IT NOWHe doesn’t care about me, his constituent.
He doesn’t care about my struggles with health care.
He doesn’t care about the provider tax.
He doesn’t care about Medicaid, or any other Minnesota program that gives us health care that we need.
I like Sen. Relph. I wanted to believe he would advocate for people in St. Cloud. Be a hero. Protect our care. A part of me still hopes that, because I need him to. If the provider tax sunsets, his health care won’t be compromised.… Continue reading »
We believe we can live in a Minnesota that is for us, by us. Join us for a phone bank to connect constituents with their legislators. We will be calling folks living in Central Minnesota, asking them to join us in making their voices heard to support paid time to care and people-centered health care at the Capitol. Training and food will be provided.
Everybody in, nobody out. No exceptions.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa
(612) 386-9556
kenza@takeactionminnesota.org
May 9, 2019
Minnesotans hurt by Senate health care cuts hold an emergency ‘teach-in’ at the CapitolConstituents from St. Cloud, Duluth, and the Metro share their stories and call on the Senate to protect health care and the provider tax
St. Paul, Minnesota—Today, Minnesotans who would be hurt by health care cuts proposed by the state Senate came to the Capitol to share their stories at an emergency ‘teach in.’ The GOP state Senate and DFL House and Governor have 11 days to pass a budget. Health care funding is a critical piece of their negotiations.
The state Senate did not include the health care provider tax in its budget proposal, which helps funds health care for 1.2 million Minnesotans and is set to expire this year.
For Minnesotans around the state, the debate over health care funding is personal, not political.
“As a Minnesotan living with a learning disability, chronic lifelong depression, anxiety, and other neurological conditions that have made it hard to maintain steady work, I have been grateful to receive quality care through public programs,” said Rachel Zemmer, a 63-year-old St. Paul resident. “I currently receive Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.… Continue reading »
Right now, I’m on Medical Assistance (MA). I’m grateful for the coverage, but I struggle to access the dental care that I need. Despite the fact that dental health is critical to our overall health, dental health care isn’t covered by MA the same way as general health care. MA covers the very basics, and at only a handful of clinics. That means I have to wait weeks to months to get an appointment.
Cleanings, extractions, x-rays, dentures and check-ups are covered—but nothing else. Imagine the stress of needing oral health care and not being able to afford it.
Because of the lack of coverage, my teeth are rotten. I need dentures, but unfortunately, I can’t get them. The dentists I have visited who accept Medicaid and provide dentures have shamed me for having bad teeth at such a young age. Instead, I’ve been told I should “fix” my rotten teeth. Of course, that would require work not covered by MA, so I would be billed obscene amounts of money.
The clinics are also often not up-to-date, with ancient equipment that makes me feel unsafe and at-risk.
… Continue reading »
I feel completely neglected by care providers and I also feel as if the State of Minnesota—generally—does not care about my needs, given that this has been allowed to go on for so long.
“If I had access to dental care that covered what I need, I would not have rotten teeth that give me endless pain.”
That’s the story St. Cloud member Ayase shared during TakeAction Minnesota’s “Creating People-Centered Care: Health Care Round Table” with Senator Jerry Relph and Representative Dan Wolgamott.
Ayase is on Medical Assistance, but coverage for dental care is limited. She has struggled to find dentists who will take her coverage and actually give her the services she needs. The Minnesota House and Governor Walz have a plan to expand dental care. But the Minnesota Senate proposed budget not only fails to expand care, they actually cut it.
“I would be able to eat without having to worry about injuries or food stuck in my mouth causing more problems. And maybe, just maybe, I could actually get the care I need and not be forced to settle for just barely enough.”
With threats to the health care provider tax, Ayase is not only fighting for adequate dental care, but now she has to fight for her health care coverage in general. Without the provider tax, the Health Care Access Fund, which funds MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance, will be drained. And the health care of Minnesotans like Ayase will be in jeopardy.… Continue reading »
Sign up to join us online or in-person for this emergency action!
Over the course of the legislative session, Minnesotans have been courageously sharing their stories and making clear demands about what we need to live lives of joy:
-100% Clean Energy
-A health care system that centers people, not profits
-Paid time to care
-Dignity and safety at work
-The right to vote
While the MN House has acted in support of these priorities, the Senate GOP majority has acted to actively ignore or harm our families. We are an abundant state and there is enough for all of us, when everyone pays their fair share.
We have a choice. We can go down the old path, or we can write a new story that’s about our lives and the hope we have for this state, whether we’re white, Black, brown, or Indigenous. We can listen to powerful corporate interest groups or we can listen to people and communities.
By: Raye Perez
Last spring, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, in addition to diabetes, which I have been working to manage for a while. It was a difficult time, but I was able to get on the right medication and manage both my physical and mental health.
After finding the medication that worked, I was able to keep working and going to school without feeling burnt out, exhausted, or sick. When I started to feel better, I was able to give back to my community even more by becoming involved in politics and campus organizations.
Without my care, I wouldn’t be who I am and my life would be dramatically different.
I’m enrolled in Blue Cross Blue Shield through my parents’ employer. I can go to the doctor and get the medications I need at little-to-no-cost upfront. If I didn’t, I don’t know how I would afford my medications. I already work two jobs, and I rely on my medications to be able to work in the first place.
Despite the privilege of having health care, the constant worry of losing coverage looms over me. We deserve stable, affordable health care we can count on.
I have coverage now, but when I turn 26, I could lose that coverage.… Continue reading »
NEWS STATEMENT
Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa
kenza@takeactionminnesota.org (612) 386-9556
Health Care Advocates Statement In Support of the House HHS Omnibus Bill Expected to Pass Today
St. Paul—The Minnesota House is expected to pass its omnibus Health and Human Services bill today, which protects and expands affordable health care, reins in drug prices, and prevents for-profit health plans from privatizing billions of dollars in public-interest assets. The bill repeals the sunset of the health care provider tax, establishes ONECare to expand access to quality health care, and improves MinnesotaCare. Groups representing farmers, small business owners, nurses, health care workers, and concerned Minnesotans released the following statements in support of the House bill.
The Land Stewardship Project released the following statement on the health care provider tax:“We applaud the Minnesota House for recognizing that every person is inherently valuable and deserves quality healthcare by supporting the provider tax. The House thoughtfully continued the bipartisan initiative of Governor Arne Carlson and the legislature that created the provider tax and brought stability to the funding of Minnesota’s essential healthcare priorities, including MinnesotaCare.We stand with Governor Walz and over 150 organizations including farmers, labor, hospitals, nurses, religious groups, and social services advocates in support of continuing the provider tax.”… Continue reading »
