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

Posted February 19, 2019

People’s House Series: First week of the legislative session

Posted January 7, 2019

Dear Friends,

Each week, the People’s House Series will share our progressive take on what’s happening at the people’s house (aka the Capitol).

My name is Kenza Hadj-Moussa. I’m the communications director at TakeAction Minnesota, co-leading our legislative work alongside Amanda Otero.

I have to tell you, this year feels different. It feels like a fresh start because it is.

We have a new Governor and Lt. Governor, diverse new commissioners, new progressive legislators, a bad ass Speaker of the House, and grassroots energy to get stuff done. (It’s a stark contrast to Washington. Day 17 of the shutdown…)

Here’s our take. This session is about creating the world we want to live in together. It’s about our underlying values and core beliefs, not as progressives, but as Minnesotans.

• Everyone has inherent value, no exception.
• We love and support each other.
• There’s enough for all.
• We trust the wisdom of our lived experience.
• We heal together.
• Lastly, we believe that the role of our elected officials is to carry out the will of the people.

DFL lawmakers are also leading with values (re: the Minnesota Values Project), introducing 10 bills the first week of session that reflect who we are and what we believe in as Minnesotans.

Together, we have the power to imagine a brighter future and co-create a democracy that’s truly people-centered.… Continue reading »

Health Care Day of Action

Posted March 3, 2017

Join us at TakeAction’s office for a health care direct action led by Women of Color at 11 am, and then ride the light rail with us to the Capitol for a joint Lobby Day with our allies from ISAIAH and MNA at 1 pm. If you can’t make it at 11 am you can meet us directly at 1 pm at Christ Lutheran Church, 105 University Ave W, St. Paul, MN 55103.

It’s time to share our stories with the decision-makers and demand access to quality, affordable health care!

Sign up here: https://secure.everyaction.com/y7uYNoga3kmPFO6id186Pg2… Continue reading »

MinnesotaCare Buy-In Phonebank

Posted March 1, 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/_v6uPCpGy0i5EKYDAUQghg2… 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/VDloUU9kxEWFD54zL_CQ9g2… 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/YdUOFBOGGUCtBB76cxuKqQ2… 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/JSj4oGmgyUiDIKwvlSddxA2… 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 »

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 »

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 »

Celebrating HOW we won

Posted November 11, 2013

Last Friday, at our Annual Leadership Awards Celebration, we celebrated the concrete change we have all won that makes our lives and the lives of our loved ones – and our whole state better.

But last Friday wasn’t only a celebration of what we won, it was a celebration of how we won.  Look around you, and you will see a new grassroots movement that has taken hold of our state.

Who was in the room on Friday?

Elected officials like Governor Mark Dayton, Speaker Paul Thissen, and members of the Minnesota House and Senate who acted to make our cities, our state, our nation more equitable.

Minnesotans who organized people in the streets, in government, or online. And the people who love and support someone who works so hard to make the world a better place.

Because of what we all won this spring, the future of our children is brighter, our unions are stronger, and love is the law.

The conventional wisdom used to be, that only what happened inside the state Capitol mattered.  If you weren’t there, then you should just wait to hear what was decided.

But this year – unlike any in recent memory –people all across Minnesota led with their own talent and creativity and changed the status quo.… Continue reading »

The power of stories

Posted October 20, 2013

I’ve always believed in the power of stories.

As a teacher of history and literature, I use personal narratives to bring lessons and lost eras home to students in the present. And recent research has shown that stories are uniquely effective at imparting shared values and empathy. But the fight for healthcare reform taught me how stories can transform the world.

When my family moved to Minnesota about three years ago, we lived without health insurance for four months while we applied for MinnesotaCare. I’d saved up for a doctor’s visit to get continuous care for my fibromyalgia and depression, but the doctor I’d picked refused to follow the treatment plan I’d been on for over a decade. We couldn’t afford to “shop” for a good doctor through out-of-pocket visits, and I was forced off all my medications. I became couch- and bed-bound with pain and exhaustion. I couldn’t look for work or explore the city we’d moved to–even taking my sons swimming for an hour was enough to use up all the energy I had for the day.

I truly recovered once our MinnesotaCare coverage started, and I was able to resume life as a worker, a mom, and a member of our new community.… Continue reading »