Medicare for All Town Hall with Attorney General Ellison and Wendell Potter

Posted January 14, 2020

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.

RSVP now. … Continue reading »

6 Takeaways on State Health Care Policy For 2020 and Beyond

Posted November 13, 2019

Stop Rx Greed

Posted October 1, 2019

Community Conversation: Medicare for All

Posted July 12, 2019

Healthcare Story Blitz

Posted April 17, 2019

At TakeAction Minnesota, we believe that stories and community building are the key to our liberation.

Join us for a healthcare story blitz in the south metro. We will be talking to folks about our legislative priorities including keeping the provider tax, supporting OneCare, and getting statewide earned sick and safe time passed. We will also be collecting stories about healthcare and sharing our own.

Meet at the TakeAction Minnesota office.

Sign up here!… Continue reading »

Sunshine Rally for Health Care

Posted March 14, 2019

People’s House Series: (Update!) HMO Conversion Bill Moves Forward

Posted March 13, 2019

In Minnesota, we believe in fairness and the common good.

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.

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 »

5 Things We Love About Gov. Walz’s Health Care Proposal

Posted February 19, 2019

Surviving, Thriving: Amity’s Story

Posted January 22, 2019

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 »

This Election, I’m Voting So All Minnesotans Can Have a Brighter, More Joyful Future

Posted October 16, 2018

Health care matters.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made it so that I could stay on my parents’ health insurance until I turn 26, and it has basically kept me alive this past year. But even with expanded care, there are still thousands of people in this country who cannot access the kind of care they need.

I believe everyone has a right to care for themselves, their families, and communities. But I believe in more than that. I believe that everyone has a right not just to live, but to live in joy. Those are the values that ground me and drive me to the polls each year.

This year, we have the chance to vote for representatives who will work alongside us to build a Minnesota where everyone has the care that they need. I’m hopeful that we have the chance (not a guarantee) to elect Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan for Governor and Lt. Governor.

It’s the moments of togetherness—moments where our joyfulness, hope, and healing were more important than fear tactics and statistics—that have made this election feel different for me.

Tim Walz is a veteran and Minnesota school teacher. Peggy Flanagan is a Native organizer, activist, and trailblazer.… Continue reading »

Healthcare Potluck Series: Womxn of Color and Mental Health

Posted September 7, 2018

Join us for the launch of our monthly healthcare potlucks! At TakeAction Minnesota, one of our core values is that we heal together in public. We will be coming together with other womxn of color in our community to share what our experiences have been like with mental health and access to providers, we will be doing some self-care activities, sharing resources for low cost mental health services, and will be participating in a short training on getting grounded in our stories.

Please feel free to bring a dish or non-alcoholic beverage to share.

We look forward to seeing you!

Register Here… Continue reading »

Medicare for All CD 2 Action at Rep. Jason Lewis’s Office

Posted July 3, 2018

At TakeAction Minnesota, we believe healing together in public is integral to creating a community where we thrive with joy. Join TakeAction Minnesota and the Be a Hero Tour to share stories on how keeping the Affordable Care Act, stopping the #TaxScam bill, and passing Medicare for All is necessary for our community. Ady and TakeAction Minnesota leaders will share their stories. We will be doing an action at Representative Jason Lewis’s Office to demonstrate the urgency of our community to keep the ACA!

The Be A Hero campaign is mobilizing voters around healthcare, human dignity, and the urgent need to ask our elected officials to be heroes. Ady Barkan and the campaign are driving across the country, from Maine to  California, through 30+ competitive congressional districts, sharing his and others’ powerful stories making vivid the very real damage that the Tax Bill and the attack on our healthcare are doing to hard-working American families.

Learn more about the Be a Here Tour and Ady’s powerful story by watching Here 

Make sure to Register Here… Continue reading »

The Type of Governor We Need

Posted June 6, 2018

Protecting Medicaid & Innovation in Minnesota

Posted December 12, 2017

Congressman Jason Lewis ‘appalled’ by protesters at his door

Posted August 25, 2017

A group of about 20 protesters showed up at U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis’ (R) house in Woodbury on Wednesday. They coursed up his driveway bearing signs, crowded around his front step, and chanted about healthcare loudly enough for his neighbors to hear. Lewis had supported the Republican health care bill, which included deep cuts to Medicaid.

Lewis wasn’t at home, but when he heard about the “invasion” later, he was incensed, calling the protest a “wanton disregard of civility,” and a “dangerous ramping up of rhetoric that already has one of my House colleagues in rehab from a vicious attack.”

Lewis’ office didn’t respond to our calls, but the congressman appears to be refering to U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), who is in rehabilitation after a Bernie Sanders supporter shot him during practice for the Congressional Baseball Game in June.

A video of the protest accompanied Lewis’ post as evidence, though instead of threatening mobsters, protesters are elderly ladies, a senior gentleman in a wheelchair, homecare workers, and a handful of young activists with TakeAction Minnesota. The group led a set of chants for a few minutes, before reading aloud from a letter, which was then propped against Lewis’ door.

Their “dangerous” rhetoric included a short speech by senior citizen Debra Francis: “My PCA would have to juggle even more work to keep up with the cost of living.… Continue reading »

Protesters demand town hall from Rep. Emmer

Posted August 8, 2017

July 5, 2017

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-6th District, last faced a town hall of his constituents Feb. 22 in Sartell.

At that meeting, Emmer made a promise to the 150 people gathered: If he voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he would replace it with something better.

On Wednesday, political activists from the 6th District gathered near the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud to call on Emmer to fulfill that promise and explain his May 4 vote in favor of the American Health Care Act (ACHA).

“It’s very disappointing, there is no human connection with Tom,” Kathryn Tasto, a Becker resident at Wednesday’s protest, said.  “That’s why these people are out here — he is avoiding us. He is running away from us.”

Read more.

 … Continue reading »

Local Residents Protest American Health Care Act

Posted

July 5, 2017

ST. CLOUD — A group of concerned local citizens held a peaceful rally Wednesday afternoon asking state leaders to pass their message to Congress to vote not to end the Affordable Care Act.

Several residents shared their personal stories on how the current health care system has helped their families.

Kathryn Schwartz Eckhardt says while her family has good health coverage, it took a frightening experience with her son who has a chronic respiratory condition, to realize others may be as lucky without the Affordable Care Act.

“My son is going to be fine because I can afford to take care of him. But millions of children rely on Medicaid and other public assistance to make sure they have access to care,” says Schwartz Eckhardt.

The Senate left for recess without voting on a bill after the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cause 22 million people to lose coverage.

Jim Magnuson spoke on how his fathers life was taken too early because he couldn’t afford health care coverage.

“When he came down with pneumonia, because of his pride and fear of recurring more debt than he could pay, he didn’t go to the hospital until it was too late,” says Magnuson.

Stigma, Skinny Repeal, and “Charity Case” Health Care

Posted July 28, 2017

By Matt Kramer, Operations Assistant

Growing up as a kid with a disability, I felt both the stigma society places on people with disabilities, and the importance of connecting with people to make change.

 I had “friends,” which I later learned often meant kids the teacher asked to talk to me. Add society stigma and misunderstanding about disabilities, along with meanness of kids at that age, and you have a pretty lonely, isolated childhood. Adults who weren’t directly taking care of me were either afraid of me, or walking on eggshells trying to say the right thing. I remember people praising me lavishly about being brave, and an inspiration. Although flattered at the time, I look back at this and often ask why.

As for services, most did not exist, and those that did were impossible to find. This was long before the days of e-mail or the internet. We had the Yellow Pages. You had to know someone who knew something. Families like mine who had complex medical issues from birth were on their own figuring out how to pay for the gargantuan medical bills.

My parents served on the first Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. The group analyzes state policy for people with disability, makes recommendations to the governor, and provides research grants to improve the lives of people with disabilities.… Continue reading »

Tell Rep. Jason Lewis: Don’t Take Away Our Health Care!

Posted June 16, 2017

Join us as we anticipate the next AHCA vote and make our voices heard. Check out the Facebook event, and sign-up here: https://secure.everyaction.com/nVQtPpmsV0OUJgp7SQ8oTw2… Continue reading »

GOP Medicaid Cuts Hit Rural America Hardest, Report Finds

Posted June 8, 2017

By Phil Galewitz June 7, 2017

Rural America carried President Donald Trump to his election night upset last November.

Trump Country it may be, but rural counties and small towns also make up Medicaid Country — those parts of the nation whose low-income children and families are most dependent on the federal-state health insurance program, according to a report released Wednesday.

Medicaid’s enrollment has swollen to more than 72 million in recent years, and the ranks of uninsured Americans has fallen to 9 percent in 2015 from 13 percent in 2013. That’s largely due to the Affordable Care Act, which allowed states to expand Medicaid eligibility with federal funds. Thirty-one states plus the District of Columbia did so.

Those gains may be in jeopardy under a GOP- and White House-backed health care measure called the American Health Care Act that would replace major parts of the ACA — known as Obamacare — and dramatically cut federal funding for Medicaid. The House passed the bill in May.

“There is no doubt that children and families in small towns would be disproportionately harmed by cuts to Medicaid,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

According to the center’s new report, Medicaid covered 45 percent of children and 16 percent of adults in small towns and rural areas in 2015.… Continue reading »

MinnesotaCare Buy-In Phonebank

Posted February 21, 2017

Join us as we generate stories and support for Gov. Dayton’s MinnesotaCare Buy-In proposal. This legislation would allow ANY Minnesotan buying individual insurance to pay for MinnesotaCare, one of our best, quality, affordable public health care programs. At these phonebanks we’ll call constituents and put them in touch with their elected officials in support of this bill.

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/FTL4cG6ly0ileo7CtZh5aw2… Continue reading »

MinnesotaCare Buy-In Phonebank

Posted

Join us as we generate stories and support for Gov. Dayton’s MinnesotaCare Buy-In proposal. This legislation would allow ANY Minnesotan buying individual insurance to pay for MinnesotaCare, one of our best, quality, affordable public health care programs. At these phonebanks we’ll call constituents and put them in touch with their elected officials in support of this bill.

Register here: https://secure.everyaction.com/iFgpFS50KkWqWuokfMHXhw2… Continue reading »

Governor’s Task Force on Health Care Financing: Health Care or Health Insurance?

Posted October 29, 2015

As a MN citizen and taxpayer; retired public health nurse; a health care reform advocate; and, someone who needs health care, I care deeply about people and how health care policy and financing affects them.  Decisions made at the state level about health care directly impact me, my family, and my community.

I realized how complicated and unaffordable health insurance is when my husband and I retired early and were forced to purchase private insurance. We couldn’t find affordable coverage, and ended up being uninsured for a while and then paying way too much for our insurance. Now, we’re grateful to be on Medicare.

I’ve also volunteered in my community as a Navigator, helping folks get connected to new coverage options under the ACA. I’ve worked with countless families who struggle with the cost of coverage, while observing how insurance companies continue to make astronomical profits, even off of our public health care programs.

During the last legislative session, conservative legislators attacked public health programs such as MinnesotaCare and the MNsure exchange.  Governor Dayton, recognizing the work that needs to be done to address these issues, initiated a Health Care Financing Task Force (TF). Made up of 29 members, there are 8 legislators and a variety of people representing categories of non-profit organizations, health care providers, the insurance industry, and others.… Continue reading »

Navigators: Keeping the Consumer Interest at Heart

Posted June 8, 2015

As the Health Care Program Coordinator at TakeAction Minnesota, I work with Navigators to learn about the realities of people’s health insurance needs and options, to assist in improving the enrollment process, and to connect them with opportunities to advocate for making our health care system work better for the people they are helping enroll.

What’s a Navigator, you might be wondering? The Navigator role was created as a part of the Affordable Care Act as a way for consumers using MNsure, the state-based health insurance exchange, to get free assistance with the enrollment process.  Navigators have been a crucial part of many enrollee’s success stories. One enrollee writes: “I tried to enroll last year, but could not get through the website on my own, so went through the year uninsured.  This year, I accessed enrollment help at the Salvation Army.  The fact that I could call someone who I could meet with and who could walk me through the Exchange made all the difference.”

As the 2015 Legislative Session comes to a close, I am left thinking of the good work of Navigators do and what it looks like to support them.

In this session, the Senate passed a measure to level the per enrollment payments Navigators receive for enrollment work, but the House did not and the measure did not make it into the final Health and Human Services bill.… Continue reading »

MinnesotaCare: Big news, but big cuts

Posted May 21, 2015

When the House Republicans made it a priority to eliminate MinnesotaCare this year, we faced an uphill battle to protect this essential program.

But thousands of Minnesotans like you spoke up. You signed petitions, contacted your legislators, shared things online, donated money to support ad campaigns, told your story at the Capitol and in the press. You were tireless in making it clear that the vast majority of Minnesotans wouldn’t stand for this controversial proposal.

Your actions combined with the leadership and tenacity of Governor Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Bakk and Senator Tony Lourey to ensure that MinnesotaCare will remain intact and continue delivering high-quality health care to those who would otherwise pay more for less in the private market, or just go uninsured.

This is an incredible moment to celebrate.

At the same time, the final legislation cuts $65 million from MinnesotaCare, and requires enrollees to pay for that cut themselves.  MinnesotaCare families will see their out-of-pocket costs triple, while premiums also go up.  The cuts to MinnesotaCare come at a time when wages for those on MinnesotaCare are stagnating, making higher health care costs even more difficult to absorb.  The cuts also come at a time when the state has a $1.9 billion surplus, and the funding source dedicated to MinnesotaCare – the Health Care Access Fund – also has a surplus.… Continue reading »

MNcare Helps MN Work – #3 in a Series: Spotlight on Chronic Illness

Posted May 14, 2015

MinnesotaCare provides coverage for many Minnesotans living with chronic illness. Here are some of their stories:

MinnesotaCare Covers Low-Wage Workers

When Corey, who lives in St. Paul, was 22, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Over the years, he’s been uninsured many times because his employers haven’t always offered him coverage or affordable coverage. When uninsured, he’s gone without his diabetes medication, which has landed him in the hospital. Four years ago, Corey applied and found out he qualifies for MinnesotaCare.

Since then, Corey has had access to life saving insulin and is therefore able to work and take care of his family. Like many low wage workers, Corey’s income changes a lot. Over the years, MinnesotaCare has been an important bridge between Medicaid and private coverage. Without MinnesotaCare, sometimes applying for a higher paying job or picking up extra hours would have meant giving up access to healthcare. With MinnesotaCare, Corey has been able to keep improving his ability to support his family while maintaining the consistent access to care that prevents worsening of his disease.

MinnesotaCare Means You Can Meet Your Basic Needs

Robert of Duluth is a truck driver without access to employer-sponsored health insurance.  For a long time, his household made a little bit too much money to qualify for MinnesotaCare and th e premiums for the products on the commercial market were more than he could afford, so he and his wife have been uninsured for the last 20 years. … Continue reading »

MNcare Helps MN Work – #2 in a Series: Spotlight on Families and the Self-Employed

Posted May 13, 2015

MinnesotaCare is working for many Minnesota families. Here are some of their stories.

MinnesotaCare Covers Farmers

Starting a farm business takes a lot of time, energy, and planning.  As beginning farmers in Litchfield, Nick and Joan Olson have been working for the past six years to capitalize their business and scale-up production in order to make the transition to full-time farming.  The cost of health insurance has always been a barrier as they looked to make this transition.  Two months ago they made the leap when Nick quit the job that provided the family of four with insurance, and MinnesotaCare made it possible.

As the Olson’s farm business grows, they’ll be able to afford other health insurance options, but MinnesotaCare has been a key factor in helping them actualize their dreams of farming full-time. The family of four now has comprehensive coverage at a price they can afford. One aspect important to the Olson’s is that the coverage allows them to continue working with their previous doctors and health care providers.

The growing season is off to a good start and now they have one less thing to worry about knowing that they’ve got affordable, quality health insurance through MinnesotaCare.

MinnesotaCare Provides Peace of Mind

Gabe is a graphic designer who lives in Minneapolis.… Continue reading »

MNcare Helps MN Work – #1 in a Series: Spotlight on Women

Posted May 7, 2015

Did you know that 54% of MinnesotaCare enrollees are women? Here are some of their stories.

MinnesotaCare Covers Mental Health

Katie Moore of Owatonna was working full-time, but her employer-based insurance was just not affordable when making $12.75/hour. Katie has needed mental health treatment ever since she lost her boyfriend in a car accident four years ago, but her employer-based insurance did not cover mental health. She was unable to see a counselor, and her anti-depression medication was costing her $120/month. Thanks to help from a Navigator, Katie confirmed that her coverage did not meet minimum value standards, so she was able to enroll in MinnesotaCare. Now, MinnesotaCare fully covers her counseling appointments and anti-depression medications.

Katie recently found out she is pregnant. She is also changing jobs and will now make $9.50/hour. So, Katie is making the transition to Medical Assistance as a pregnant woman. Katie is so grateful to have had MinnesotaCare to cover her initial prenatal care, and is happy with the smooth transition to the new program. Once her baby is born, Katie is relieved to know MinnesotaCare will still be there for her. Because she is getting affordable, quality coverage, Katie is able to do a job she loves, become a mom, and pay off her student debt from her social work degree.… Continue reading »

My Story: A Slippery Slope

Posted March 3, 2015

From one of our members, Mary Einspahr:

I didn’t grow up in poverty. Growing up my dad worked a stable job at a major corporation. We lived in a nice house. We took family vacations. We never had to worry about having enough to eat.

However, I fell into poverty at the ripe age of 23.

Last winter, my health insurance wouldn’t cover my medical needs and it was about to expire anyway. I found myself broke, without adequate health care, and forced to quit school due to a chronic health condition. It wasn’t until I applied for MNsure and was granted Medical Assistance that I began to receive adequate, affordable health care. Through Medical Assistance, Minnesota’s Medicaid program, I was able to attend outpatient treatments for addiction, which I still attend to this day. MNsure saved my life; I’m now over one year sober and in a much better place. My Medical Assistance fully covers my health care needs; in addition to treatment, it covers my doctor visits and covered three ER trips after a bike accident last April.

While I’m grateful for my affordable health plan, this is not a perfect system. In order to keep Medical Assistance, I have to stay below the poverty line, which means earning less than $15,000 a year.… Continue reading »

We Love MinnesotaCare

Posted February 12, 2015

There are a lot of numbers behind MinnesotaCare. It covers 88,000 Minnesotans and keeps premiums down to $50/month for many individuals. MinnesotaCare catches those who fall through the cracks between Medical Assistance and costly private health insurance plans. But you know what’s even better than the numbers? The stories. Take a look at what MinnesotaCare means for Minnesota:

MinnesotaCare means being able to pursue professional dreams. Many folks who are self-employed or who work a variety of part-time jobs rely on MinnesotaCare for their health care. For Gabe, who is pursuing work as a graphic designer, MinnesotaCare gives him the security of knowing he’s covered if his pre-existing condition causes trouble, even as he pursues his career goals.

MinnesotaCare means feeling safe when your world turns upside down. Many people, especially in the last several years, have relied on MinnesotaCare when jobs have moved out-of-state, changed management, or downsized. Without MNCare, Julie wouldn’t have access to health care while she goes through the stressful process of finding a new accounting job, because after losing her job, COBRA was just too expensive. For Jane, MinnesotaCare provided necessary care when her daughter was born with Down syndrome and a hole in her heart.… Continue reading »