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 Minnesotans, connecting constituents with their legislators to support bills protecting and expanding our health care and restoring the vote.
Everybody in, nobody out. No exceptions.
Join other women of color in the community to share our stories around healthcare! We will be coming together to share a meal, get rooted in our stories and our truths, and get clear on how to use our stories as women of color to move important legislation at the Capitol.
Dinner provided.
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 Minnesotans, connecting constituents with their legislators to support bills protecting and expanding our health care and restoring the vote.
Everybody in, nobody out. No exceptions.
By: Willa Pearls
A few weeks ago, I ended up in the hospital. I survived because of Medicaid and Medicare. These programs allow me to do the things that keep me alive and allow me to live a productive life.
I have needed health care my whole life, like every person in this country. But in my 40s, after physical and stress-related health problems, I found myself disabled and unable to work. I have diabetes, a mild anxiety disorder, and other health issues that limit my ability to work, move around, and get what I need.
I want people to realize that life happened to me, and what happened to me can happen to anyone.
I’m lucky to have children who are wonderful and help me in my life. I’m lucky to have people in my community who help me and whom I can help. I like my life, and I would not be able to have the life I have without programs like Medicaid and Medicare. Having affordable health care gave me the chance to get my master’s degree and complete PhD courses. Having affordable health care gave me the ability to substitute teach in the Minneapolis School District.
I currently tutor in my community.… Continue reading »
By: Jacob Skahl
Last December, I lost my health care for three months. It felt terrible. I knew that if anything happened, the out-of-pocket expenses would make it impossible for me to pay rent or buy food. I spent over $100 just to go to a routine doctor’s appointment and get a prescription refilled. I was in a constant state of fear that something would happen.
When I didn’t have access to health care for those three months, I worried about how I would get the care I needed. Now that I am on MinnesotaCare, I worry about how I will afford it. Even with coverage, I’m constantly asking myself if I will be able to survive a medical emergency.
Every day health care is on my mind. And every day I make hard choices between making ends meet and dealing with pain.
This lack of health care access is both systemic and intergenerational. Many of my family members have medical debt that they will never be able to pay off, and they have been forced out of their homes because of it. My dad is a retired veteran. After 18 years of working in labor, he is physically disabled. He worked so hard for so long, and all he has to show for it are his medical bills.… Continue reading »
This week, hundreds of TakeAction Minnesota members contacted their legislators about Minnesota allowing for-profit health insurance companies from entering the state and why we need strong HMO conversion laws. Today, Rep. Jen Schultz’s bill (HF533) was approved by the House Commerce committee. This is great news for Minnesotans, as we continue to work toward a people-centered health care system.
https://www.facebook.com/TakeActionMinnesota/videos/342014956442226/ Watch and share this video to learn more about nonprofit HMO conversions
Rep. Jen Schultz (Duluth)
Here’s what Rep. Schultz said about the bill a news release today:
“Minnesotans expect that money they’ve paid toward health care will go toward just that purpose: providing health care, not enriching insurance company executives and shareholders.”
“The repeal of the for-profit ban was in addition to the $542 million handout insurance companies received from the reinsurance bill. As we work on real solutions making health care more affordable and improving the quality of care Minnesotans receive, the accountability measures in this bill will help ensure that money for health care is spent on people, not going toward corporate profits.”
We agree. And we’re grateful for the champions who are standing up for Minnesotans.… Continue reading »
Join us to reach out to people in Central Minnesotan Legislative Districts to invite them to contact their local legislator to encourage them to prioritize healthcare, funding the provider tax, and earned sick and safe time. Join us to chat with people in Central MN about their legislative priorities and invite them to join us in making our voices heard to legislators!
Training and food provided! Laptops are available on a first come first serve basis.
Join us to reach out to people in Central Minnesotan Legislative Districts to invite them to contact their local legislator to encourage them to prioritize healthcare, funding the provider tax, and earned sick and safe time. Join us to chat with people in Central MN about their legislative priorities and invite them to join us in making our voices heard to legislators!
Training and food provided! Laptops are available on a first come first serve basis.
Sarah Piepenburg runs a small business, Vinaigrette, in Minneapolis. She is a member of Main Street Alliance of Minnesota, an organization that works to provide small businesses a voice in the most pressing public policy issues in Minnesota and nationally.
We started our business, Vinaigrette, over ten years ago. When we started it, we didn’t really think about health care. We were fortunate because, through our husband’s previous employer, we were still covered under COBRA. When COBRA expired, we were full-swing into our business. We were surprised to find out that as a family of three, we made $24,000. This put us way below the poverty line, which in some ways was fortunate, because then were covered under Medical Assistance.
We were covered under MA for a few years, and then came the Affordable Care Act. I excitedly went online to figure out what I could get, but our income at the time was too low, so we didn’t qualify for the open market. But we no longer qualified for MA, so we were put on the supplemental track. It wasn’t really a problem because it was something we could afford. But then, in 2017, we as a family made $57,670.… Continue reading »
By: Riley Schumacher
When I was an infant, I was diagnosed with common variable immune deficiency.
I spent most of my childhood fighting for my life, spending time in hospital beds, hoping that I would make it to adulthood. My parents spent most of their time fighting for me, either with doctors or health insurance companies that didn’t want to cover me because of my health problems.
My mother took care of me, comforted me, and made sure I was supported. My dad fought for me by advocating and often fighting against health insurance companies to get coverage for experimental treatments. They knew how to navigate the health care system in order to get the care that I needed and keep me alive.
I know that many people with my health problems would not have had access to the same resources. They would not have been able to afford the live-saving care they need.
I am lucky to be alive. But the lives of Minnesotans shouldn’t be dependent on luck.
Because the state of Minnesota values its children, I was put on TEFRA—Medical Assistance (MA) for children with disabilities. When I got older, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, asthma, and mental health complications.… Continue reading »
By: Devin Helmick
I live in Central Minnesota and get health care through MinnesotaCare.
I don’t have enough money to purchase private insurance, and my work doesn’t provide healthcare benefits. The situation is complicated by me having a Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI)—specifically depression—which pushes me to near suicide and has led to several attempts in the past. Depression made life unbearable for me. Every waking day had some sort of insurmountable suffering that I could not quite overcome, despite outward appearances.
That all changed roughly a year ago when I was lucky enough to be able to get myself a proper diagnostic exam done, and was able to get psychiatric care and medications that have helped me manage my depression. Things are far from perfect, however the difference on my life is night and day already.
There is just one problem: the medications combined cost well over $1000.
I am lucky to have insurance through the state of Minnesota, which is the only reason I’m able to afford the cost of my medications. This health care, however, is chained to my income. If my income rises too much, I could lose coverage and likely end up worse-off, having to get the lowest cost private insurance I could afford.… Continue reading »
CONTACT: Corinne Horowitz, Main Street Alliance, 612-232-1655, Kenza Hadj-Moussa, TakeAction Minnesota, 612-386-9556
MEDIA RELEASE
NEW REPORT: Nearly half of Minnesotans struggle to afford health care, 79% are worried about costsSmall business owners call for the MinnesotaCare Buy-In
ST. PAUL, MN — It’s no secret that health care is a top concern for Minnesotans. Nearly half of Minnesotans (47%) have faced hardships due to the high cost of health care. A new report by the Healthcare Value Hub reveals how severely health care costs are affecting Minnesotans across the state. Minnesotans report going uninsured due to costs, delaying or foregoing care, and being unable to pay medical bills. The vast majority adults in the state (79%) are worried about affording health care in the future.
As action on health care is debated at the State Legislature, small business owners are among the voices calling for the MinnesotaCare Buy-In (HF11/SF1080), a popular proposal that would allow anyone to access the state’s public health insurance program, regardless of income.
For Sarah Piepenberg of Minneapolis, owner of Vinaigrette, expanding MinnesotaCare would allow her to live the American dream—and sleep at night.
Piepenberg is uninsured. Two years ago, her family was kicked off MinnesotaCare because she made $7 over the income limit. … Continue reading »
By: Stuart Orlowski
Why is health care reform important to me? Because I’m afraid.
I’m afraid of unexpected, unpredictable costs that will hurt my livelihood. Last year I broke my hand. I had insurance, so I assumed that most of the costs would be covered for my care. Surgery was not required for my injury, just an x-ray and a splint. Still, I was surprised to find that my out-of-pocket expenses were over $400.
That was on top of other, smaller incidents. Like paying $250 for a strep test after having a sore throat for two weeks.
I felt financial pain on top of these injuries. And while I managed to pay these bills, studies have shown that 57% of Americans can’t cover a $500 emergency. Health care costs can easily snowball—and the majority of us can’t keep up.
I’m afraid for my uninsured friends and family—that they will become sick or injured and what that would mean for their economic stability and health.
Also last year, I got food poisoning while traveling to Chicago.
The pressure on my chest was unbearable. My friends advised me to go to the hospital. After all, chest pain could mean a number of things. … Continue reading »
Join TakeAction members, leaders and activists as we present a storytellers training where folks can get tools to powerfully tell their stories. Together we will explore why our stories about our lived experiences are the key to moving from activists to changemakers on topics that impact our lives. We will be training and supporting groups of people who are ready to share their stories and impact the world we live in.
In this training and member meeting, we are hoping you will walk away with solid tools that can be used to share your stories and impact the dominant narratives. You will walk away with a story you want to tell to help influence the fight for policies like Earned Sick and Safe Time, access to MN Care and Paid Family Leave.
This training is built around being a storyteller, the dominant narratives that affect us and the connections our stories have to legislative issues. As an attendee, you will get space to explore these concepts, tools to use them and an invite to upcoming TakeAction events where our stories will be the foundation for change.
TakeAction Minnesota believes that the stories we carry around about shared experiences of joy, frustration, fear, and hope are often hidden by shame and anger because we are told our stories are individual moments and not connected to a larger shared experience that many of us face.… Continue reading »
By: Efemona Kosi
I am lucky to be covered under my parent’s healthcare plan.
My mother is a nurse and my father is a correctional officer. We’re ensured under my father’s employer because he works for the state. As a result, his plan offers more benefits at a lower price. I am under 26 years old, so I have a few more years to benefit from that coverage, thanks to provisions in the Affordable Care Act. Nevertheless, my ability to use these services has always been limited by high copayments and deductibles.
Sometimes, I forget this fact because I feel so grateful just to have coverage. But having coverage and being able to access coverage are two very different things.
I was reminded of this reality when my tooth began to hurt recently, and I realized I’ve only been to the dentist twice in my life. The copayments are about $35. For some, that might not seem high; but as a college student, that’s a week worth of groceries. So I reevaluated whether my tooth really hurt “that badly,” and I took as many ibuprofens as allowed. I hoped that my symptoms didn’t get any worse. I do this with other issues, too.… Continue reading »
By: Amity Foster
When I was 22 years old, I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was fresh out of college. I did not have a job. I did not have healthcare.
I was in that zone of not really being sure what I was going to do with my life, feeling stressed, but also feeling kind of invincible. Then I got my diagnosis over the phone: “You have acute promyelocytic leukemia. You are at extremely high risk for getting very sick, you need to come to the hospital now.”
I can absolutely tell you this: I survived because I was taken care of. And that includes the cost.
There were no questions about insurance, healthcare plans, or cost. It was very fast. I got the call on a Saturday and I was at United on Monday. I remember feeling confused, scared, and overwhelmed. But I don’t remember being worried about how I was going to pay for everything. I remember a hospital staffer, maybe she was a social worker, coming to talk to me. She helped me fill out a ton of forms.
And that was it.
No bills, ever.
There were points in my treatment where I almost died. The fear and loneliness of having cancer is awful enough.… Continue reading »
By: Anne Tews
In 2010, I lost my job and got health care coverage through Thrivent. It cost an arm and a leg, and if I were to use it I’d have to pay a high deductible before coverage would kick-in. Even getting my annual check-up was difficult because of the hoops the insurance company made me jump through. That’s why I was thrilled that the Affordable Care Act allowed me to get MNSure coverage in 2013.
My right foot had been bothering me since 2010, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Now that I had coverage, I could finally look into it.
I went in for an annual check-up (my first in a couple of years) and mentioned my sore foot. X-rays showed that I had osteoarthritis in one joint, and I was told that I needed to see an orthopedic doctor about treatment. A few weeks and more x-rays later, I got the news that there was no cartilage left in my joint and I would have to undergo a talonavicular joint fusion.
The fusion would require inserting two 1.75″ screws into my joint and 2-3 pins into my foot. But it was worth it for what I thought would be a permanent solution.… Continue reading »
Save the date for TakeAction Minnesota’s Lobby Day!
We believe in a politics grounded in joy, collective liberation, and co-governance. And that’s a future worth celebrating. Join us on February 28 and put into practice the politics we want to build. Our Party at the People’s House isn’t your typical lobby day. Sure, we’ll be training on legislative visits, building relationships with elected officials, and meeting with legislators to talk about the policies that affect our daily lives. But we’ll be doing more than that. We’ll be taking up space, sharing our stories, and demonstrating what joyful, courageous, and powerful action looks like. Share your collective vision for health care for all, paid time to care, and criminal justice reform—and the real stories that ground you in these fights. Take action with us. Party at the People’s House and let’s win the policies our communities deserve.
We will follow-up with participants in the coming weeks with details, including schedule and location. Lunch will be provided. Contact Sabrina Mauritz at sabrina@takeactionminnesota.org for more information about accessibility and other concerns.
We’re fighting for this people-centered agenda:
Our stories are powerful. If we want change to happen in Minnesota, decision-makers and our legislators need to hear from us. When we tell our stories – bringing them into public – we shape the conversation about the issues that matter to us.
Join us to ground yourself in your stories. Learn how to use it through lobbying, writing, and social media to create change. All are welcome to attend.
Lunch will be provided. Childcare and transportation are available upon request.
We’re all impacted daily by the decisions made at the state capitol. If we want change to happen in our state, we need our legislators to hear our unique and powerful stories. When we tell our stories, we can change the conversation on issues we care about.
Come learn how you can become more grounded in your own story and how to use it to create change through lobbying, writing, and posting on social media. All are welcome to attend.
Dinner provided. Childcare and transportation upon request.
We’re all impacted daily by the decisions made at the state capitol. If we want change to happen in our state, we need our legislators to hear our unique and powerful stories. When we tell our stories, we can change the conversation on issues we care about.
Come learn how you can become more grounded in your own story and how to use it to create change through lobbying, writing, and posting on social media. All are welcome to attend.
Dinner provided. Childcare and transportation upon request.
Our political arena at this moment is controlled by corporate power and political elites. Because of this, many people and their values are left out of the conversation. We believe to change this reality, we need to build authentic power with our leaders. Whether it’s a city council member or a U.S. Senator, building power to advance progressive policies is important and at the core of the work TakeAction Minnesota does during the legislative session.
Join TakeAction members and leaders at our St. Cloud member meeting to learn how to build power with legislators. Attend breakout sessions on our three legislative opportunities we’ve identified.
The first part of this meeting will be a training on how to build power with legislators. The second half will be breakout sessions on the three legislative priorities. Join us to learn, ask questions, and grow your own community leadership skills.
Building Power with Your Legislators Training:
Voting is important, but even more so are the many ways people get involved after Election Day to hold our representatives accountable. This training prepares you to go deeper with your legislator and to help you get in a relationship with the very issues they are elected to tackle.… Continue reading »
At TakeAction Minnesota, we believe people are the center of politics. If you are new to activism and politics, join us to talk about opportunities that the new year will bring. We will discuss the work done by our Womxn of Color table, Justice4All, the African Voting Bloc, our healthcare team, and the rest of TakeAction Minnesota. This is an exciting opportunity to meet other folks ready to lead during the legislative session and build a political home.
Lunch will be provided.
Childcare and transportation available upon request.
Contact: Kenza Hadj-Moussa, 612-386-9556
NEWS STATEMENT
TakeAction Minnesota Statement on Senate HHS Health Insurance Presentation
St. Paul, MN—Today, the Minnesota Senate held a presentation on Minnesota’s individual health insurance market and discussed the MinnesotaCare Buy-In proposal. TakeAction Minnesota released the following statement:
“Today’s presentation was a transparent lobbying pitch from one insurance company against the MinnesotaCare Buy-In,” said Kenza Hadj-Moussa, a spokesperson for TakeAction Minnesota. “We need lawmakers to evaluate MinnesotaCare from the point of view of Minnesotans, not the insurance industry. Minnesotans want simple, universal, affordable health care. The pathway is through public health insurance, not the failing private market that exists to enrich itself.”
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TakeAction Minnesota is a statewide, independent, multiracial people’s organization working to advance democracy and equity through organizing, political action, and campaigns. The organization has offices in St. Paul, Duluth, and St. Cloud.
My name is Aliya, and I am TakeAction Minnesota’s deputy communications director.
I’m excited to vote for candidates who will stand for reproductive freedoms this November—candidates like Tina Smith, Tim Walz, Peggy Flanagan, and Keith Ellison. They’ve pledged to fight for the rights of all Minnesotans so that no matter your gender, race, or zip code, all of us are able to make our own decisions about our bodies and our health care.
My mother grew up poor, in rural Pennsylvania, living part of her childhood with her grandmother because her parents didn’t have enough to make ends meet. Intergenerational trauma and poverty significantly limited the choices my mother had— and the choices that she even knew were possible.
My father immigrated from Pakistan, raising me and my sister in a small town in the Midwest as a single parent. I’m grateful for the sacrifices he made, but I wish he had more tools and resources so that he didn’t have to sacrifice so much.
I grew up in drastically different circumstances than either of my parents, with more resources and choices than they had. I believe that everyone should have access to the choices and care they need, not just a select few. … Continue reading »
