INSURANCE

Lawmakers and EMS leaders advocate for EMS prioritization in tight budget year

Mary Murphy — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:54:58 GMT

ST. PAUL — Minnesota lawmakers and EMS leaders said Tuesday that the state should safeguard funding for EMS, which advocates called a system in a “cycle of crisis.”

During a Tuesday morning, April 8, press conference, Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley, Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, and EMS personnel from across the state urged passage of bills for $50 million in short-term funding, long-term changes to reimbursement rates and boosted training programs to support EMS.

Bills HF715 and SF1326 increase reimbursement rates by providing a 10% increase in Medicaid payment rates for ambulance services. Together, the bills would cost $1.3 billion in 2026 and 3.3 billion in 2027, paid out of the state’s general fund, according to the bill’s fiscal note.

Michael Juntunen, president of the Minnesota Ambulance Association, said on Tuesday that Medicaid and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services currently pay the most in reimbursement rates in Minnesota and that potential federal cuts could be “devastating.”

“If there are cuts to the Medicare or Medicaid programs, even by a percentage or two, it’s devastating to our ambulance services,” he said. “I mean, it’s millions and millions of dollars for a lot of services.”

In the 2024 session, the Minnesota Legislature invested $30 million in EMS — $24 million in local service provider grants and $6 million to pilot a sprint medic program. Juntunen said on Tuesday that despite a tighter budget, MAA is asking for $50 million in one-time grants this year for local services.

“We know that’s a hard ask this year,” he said. “I mean, we totally understand that dollars are a struggle. But again, we have ambulance services that are not sure how they’re going to keep afloat.”

Rebecca Huebsch, director of Perham Area EMS, said at the press conference on Tuesday that Perham’s EMS service received a $192,000 grant from the state and was able to restore an old ambulance, but that their EMS needs last year were closer to $500,000.

“It made a huge impact in our budget, but the one-time funding fell short for even that year,” she said. “So we appreciate everything that we’ve gotten, but we need more help.”

Huebsch also addressed the $6 million sprint medic program passed in 2024, and said it’s too early to assess its success since it just launched in Perham a week and a half ago.

The Medicaid reimbursement rate bills have not yet received a hearing. EMS advocates on Tuesday said they are also pushing for the passage of HF93/SF1132, which would pay EMT students a salary while they undergo training.

Backer said on Tuesday that he and fellow House Health and Finance Policy committee co-chair Robert Bierman, DFL-Apple Valley, are hoping to include some of the EMS provisions in the committee’s omnibus bill, which is still in negotiation.

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Minnesota lawmakers consider extended unemployment benefits for laid-off steelworkers

Mary Murphy — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 18:51:59 GMT

ST. PAUL — Minnesota lawmakers are considering bills to extend unemployment insurance for steelworkers affected by recent layoffs.

The “Minnesota Miners Relief Act,” HF3030/SF3216, would extend 26 weeks of unemployment insurance for steelworkers laid off between March 15 and June 15, according to bill language. The bill does not have an official fiscal note, but authors estimated in a Wednesday, April 2, press release that it would cost $10 million to $12 million.

House sponsor of the bill Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, said at a press conference Wednesday the bill is motivated by Cleveland Cliffs announcing in late March plans to lay off roughly 630 steelworkers as a result of temporarily closing its Minorca Mine in Virginia, and also partially idling part of Hibbing Taconite.

The Minnesota Miners Relief Act stalled in committee Wednesday. Democrat members said they were concerned the bill would also seek to amend site-specific standards for sulfites and safe storage for reactive mine waste, on top of unemployment benefits.

A separate bill, HF3023, authored by Rep. Pete Johnson, DFL-Duluth, proposes the same unemployment insurance benefits but without the extra environmental provisions of the Minnesota Miners Relief Act. HF3023 passed unanimously through the House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on Thursday and now heads to Ways and Means.

“We saw today that there is broad bipartisan support behind extending unemployment insurance benefits to the impacted workers on the Iron Range. The environmental policies brought before the committee this week are important too, but these proposals should stand on their own,” Johnson said in a statement. “Moving this bill forward is the process working as it should. Working together, we can deliver this support to the Iron Range soon.”

Sen. Robert Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, co-author of the bill in the Senate, said at a press conference Wednesday that the extra provisions in the Minnesota Miners Relief Act are aimed at supporting mining in the long term in addition to the short-term effects of the layoffs.

“We really need to take care of this sulfide standard,” he said. “They need to get this done, because it's a bleak picture if we don't do this. There are six taconite mines, one currently being built on the Iron Range, and I don't see a future for any of them.”

Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, said during the bill’s hearing Wednesday that his Democrat colleagues support extending unemployment benefits to steelworkers but that the extra provisions on sulfite standards and safe storage in the bill raise “significant environmental concerns.”

“I'm troubled by and confused by the combination of issues here,” he said, recommending that the bill move through the House’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

The Minnesota Miners Relief Act received its first hearing Wednesday morning in the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee and was laid on the table.

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Minnesota lawmakers to consider covering insurance costs for infertility treatment

Mary Murphy — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 13:47:00 GMT

ST. PAUL — Minnesota lawmakers will take another look this session at passing a bill to cover infertility insurance costs for residents.

This year marks the third year the Minnesota Legislature will see a version of the “Minnesota Building Families Act.”

The bill proposes comprehensive coverage of insurance costs for infertility diagnosis and treatment (including IVF), as well as insurance coverage for fertility services for cancer patients and others at risk of medically induced infertility. A total of 22 states across the country have already written fertility insurance coverage into law, according to the National Infertility Association.

While the bill has not been introduced yet, Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, said she will be bringing the bill forward this session.

“There are too many families in Minnesota who are mortgaging their houses and cashing in their 401(k)s, leaning on friends and families, or who don't have the ability to do any of those things, and therefore, able to have the children that they want in this state, and we are going to change that,” she said. “There are going to be more children in Minnesota who are loved and wanted and cared for because of the work we are doing right here.”

One in 6 Minnesotans struggle with infertility, according to the National Infertility Association.

Supporters of the bill rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 4, organized by the Minnesota Building Families Coalition.

“We are one of the best states for raising a family. We need to be the best state for building our families,” said Meta Getman, with the coalition. “Let's make sure that no one has to face the heartache and financial burden of infertility alone and be forced to decide that they cannot have a family because they don't have the ability to try.”

Monica Meyer, political director with Gender Justice, spoke at the rally sharing the story of when she and her partner decided to start trying to get pregnant. Her partner was diagnosed with cancer and, after going into remission, was denied insurance coverage for fertility care.

“We are here because everyone deserves a chance to build a family, no matter their income, employer and who they love,” she said. “Right now, too many people are being denied access to the reproductive health care they need simply because insurance companies refuse to cover it.”

Miraya Gran, with the Minnesota Building Families Coalition, said she never knew trying to have a baby would be so hard.

“My husband and I were fortunate enough to conceive our beautiful daughter through in vitro fertilization, also known as IVF, and there she is today,” Gran said. “But here's the thing, our insurance didn't cover infertility treatments. So what did we do? We took out a second mortgage, we drained our savings. We had to lean on our family and fundraise for us. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I need a bake sale to have a baby.”

Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina, who is a practicing physician and has patients who face infertility, also spoke at the rally.

“There should not be cost barriers to getting the treatment for this or any other disease that we need treated,” she said. “So infertility, of course, is often a disease that is overlooked and is not thought of as an equal to other diseases.”

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New report outlines how potential cuts to Medicaid could impact Minnesotans

Dené K. Dryden — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 12:00:00 GMT

ROCHESTER — A new report out of Georgetown University details Medicaid's role in rural communities and their health systems — and how proposed funding cuts at the national level could impact Minnesotans.

"(Medicaid) is absolutely essential to providing access to health care services in Greater Minnesota and in most parts of the Dakotas," said Katy Kozhimannil, co-director of the University of Minnesota's Rural Health Research Center and Rural Health Program. "Medicaid is an absolutely essential source of revenue for those hospitals to keep operating."

Medicaid — the state-federal program known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota — supplies health insurance coverage to low-income Americans. Another program, the Children's Health Insurance Program, provides health coverage for children and, in some states, pregnant women who do not meet the financial requirements for Medicaid. Almost 80 million people in the U.S. receive health coverage through Medicaid/CHIP.

"Medicaid is the backbone of many aspects of our health care system, including paying for the majority of nursing home residents," said Joan Alker, lead author of the report from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. She is also the center's executive director. "Covering 40% to 50% of children at birth, nationwide ... covering people with disabilities and many other low-income people."

In Minnesota, 18% of the state's population, more than 1 million people, is covered by Medicaid/Medical Assistance or CHIP. Rural Minnesota counties have a larger percentage of Medicaid enrollees (21.5%) than metro counties (18.1%), per the report.

The report comes as U.S. House Republicans consider cutting more than $5 trillion (over 10 years) in spending on health, environment and social safety net policies. The greatest bulk of those proposed cuts — an estimated $2.3 trillion — would come from Medicaid.

"That equates to almost one-third of federal Medicaid spending," Alker said.

In 2022, Medicaid spending in Minnesota totaled $16.3 billion, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The federal government takes on 50.8% of the state's Medicaid costs, said Anne Dwyer, associate research professor with the Center for Children and Families.

"So for about every dollar that is spent on medical care in Medicaid in Minnesota, the federal government is picking up over half," said Dwyer, who noted that federal funds cover 90% of the cost for people covered under expanded Medicaid.

Because federal dollars make up a big chunk of how Medicaid is paid for, Dwyer said large cuts would dramatically impact state Medicaid programs, including Minnesota's.

"States will have no choice but to dramatically raise taxes, cut other parts of their states' budgets including K-12 education and/or institute large and harmful cuts to their Medicaid programs such as cuts to benefits, eligibility and payment rates for providers and plans," Dwyer said.

Because rural areas have a higher percentage of Medicaid enrollees, the report authors say any reduction in funding will have harsher impacts on rural communities.

"Rural communities are at grave risk if substantial federal cuts are enacted," Alker said.

While Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for services is often lower than what private health insurers pay, Kozhimannil said Medicaid is an important source of revenue for rural hospitals.

With Medicaid, "folks are often able to access services without out-of-pocket payment or copayments, which can incentivize preventive care services and coming in for the visits," Kozhimannil said. "That helps the hospitals from a financial perspective, that folks are actually coming in for their visits ... as opposed to going without care and winding up in an emergency department."

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Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to murder of health insurance CEO

Jack Queen and Luc Cohen / Reuters — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:34:22 GMT

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally gunning down health insurance executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street, pleaded not guilty on Monday to New York state murder charges that brand him a terrorist.

Mangione, 26, was escorted into Judge Gregory Carro's 13th-floor courtroom in the New York state criminal courthouse in lower Manhattan with a court officer on each arm, and a procession of a half dozen officers following him. He was in handcuffs and shackles, and wore a burgundy sweater over a white-collared shirt.

Mangione leaned into a microphone and said "not guilty" when Carro asked how he pleaded to the 11-count indictment charging him with murder as an act of terrorism and weapons offenses.

If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's UNH.N insurance unit UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on Dec. 4 outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where the company was gathering for an investor conference.

The brazen killing and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans. While public officials have condemned the killing, some Americans who decry the steep costs of healthcare and insurance companies' power to deny paying for some medical treatments have feted Mangione as a folk hero.

Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9. After deciding last week not to fight extradition, he was transferred to New York, where he was led off a helicopter in lower Manhattan by a large phalanx of police officers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

That spectacle and other statements by public officials suggest Mangione may not be able to get a fair trial, his lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said at Monday's hearing.

"They are treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, some sort of spectacle," Agnifilo said. "He is not a symbol, he is someone who is afforded a right to a fair trial."

Several dozen people gathered outside the courthouse in freezing temperatures to express support for Mangione and anger at healthcare companies.

One person held a sign with the words "DENY, DEFEND, DEPOSE," a phrase that echoes tactics some accuse insurers of using to avoid paying out claims. Authorities say the words "deny," "delay," and "depose" were found written on shell casings at the crime scene.

Kara Hay, a 42-year-old schoolteacher, said she believed it was wrong for Mangione to be charged with terrorism.

"Shooting one CEO does not make him a terrorist, and I do not feel terrorized," said Hay, who held a sign reading "innocent until proven guilty."

After the 30-minute hearing, officers once again shackled Mangione and led him out of the courtroom. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a federal lockup in Brooklyn.

Carro set Mangione's next court appearance for Feb. 21.

Dual state, federal cases

Monday's arraignment was the second court appearance in New York for Mangione, who also faces a four-count federal criminal complaint charging him with stalking and killing Thompson.

He has not yet been asked to enter a plea in that case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker ordered Mangione detained at a Dec. 19 hearing in Manhattan federal court.

The federal charges would make him eligible for the death penalty, should the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan decide to pursue it.

The separate federal and state cases will proceed in parallel. The state case is currently expected to go to trial first, federal prosecutors said.

At the hearing, Friedman Agnifilo said it was difficult to defend her client in dual state and federal cases.

"He is being treated like a human ping-pong ball between these two jurisdictions," Friedman Agnifilo said.

She also said the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which brought the charges, has not handed over any evidence to the defense to help prepare for trial, a process known as discovery. A prosecutor responded that the office would begin handing over evidence soon.

According to the federal criminal complaint, the police who arrested Mangione found a notebook that contained several handwritten pages that "express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular."

A notebook entry dated Oct. 22 allegedly described an intent to "wack" the chief executive of an insurance company at its investor conference.

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State Farm names Sara Labraaten No. 1 agency for fourth straight year

Pioneer Staff Report — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 13:39:00 GMT

BEMIDJI — State Farm Insurance has named the Sara Labraaten Agency of Bemidji its No. 1 agency in the company for the fourth consecutive year.

The designation is based on six criteria related to customer service and production, Labraaten said. The company's 20,000 independent agencies are ranked in each of those categories. Final rankings are announced after the first quarter of each year.

“I could not be more proud of the team and their ability to take care of customers,” Labraaten said.

Labraaten has been with State Farm since 1995. After starting her career as an agent in Fargo, she took an executive position with the company. She purchased the Bemidji agency at 700 Bemidji Ave. N. from Pat Knoer in 2012.

“I was moving all the time with corporate,” she said. “I had moved 10 times by the time we got to Bemidji. The reason for going back to agency work was some stability for my family.”

The agency has grown from three licensed agents to 17 since 2012, she said. Her husband, Jon, sold his State Farm agency in Bagley and moved to the Bemidji location in 2020, operating as a separate agency.

“We’ve been so blessed with great employees and a great customer base,” Sara Labraaten said. “There has been a State Farm agency at this location since 1935.”

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Minnesota bill would mandate insurance coverage for infertility

Tom Crann and Ngoc Bui / MPR News — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 22:31:27 GMT

Minnesota lawmakers kicked off this year’s legislative session Monday, Feb. 12. One bill that’s up for consideration would mandate insurance coverage for a spectrum of infertility treatments.

Barbara Collura and Julie Berman were at the Capitol this week to advocate for the bill. Collura is president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association. Julie Berman leads the Minnesota Building Families Coalition and is the former board chair for Resolve.

They spoke with All Things Considered host Tom Crann about what the bill entails and why they think it’s important.

The following transcription has been edited for length and clarity.

What treatments would be covered under this legislation?

Julie Berman: It covers infertility diagnosis and treatment, including IVF, which is in vitro fertilization. It also covers fertility preservation for people with medically induced infertility, like people with cancer when they face chemotherapy or radiation. It also covers the LGBTQ+ community. The medical definition of infertility has recently been updated and they are also included.

How many states have passed similar legislation and how does Minnesota’s proposed legislation stack up?

Barbara Collura: We have 21 states that have some sort of infertility mandate. How does this compare? Well, I want to look at it in two ways. I’m going to start with the easy one: what it covers. The Minnesota legislation is pretty much on par to what we’ve seen in other states in terms of what it covers. It adheres to our model legislation that we’ve seen get passed in other states.

Who it covers? It would cover the fully insured market. It’s also going to cover MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance. Those are plans from the state government. That’s what the state government can control. The state government can’t control things like self-insured companies. They can’t control federal employees who live in Minnesota. They can’t control military — that’s federal.

So, insurance in our country is very complicated and, in this case in Minnesota, we see a fairly broad coverage for what the legislature can control compared to other states.

Can you give us a picture of how much infertility care or treatments can cost without insurance?

Collura: A lot of infertility is treated through medication or very minimally invasive procedures. That’s the vast majority.

But for some IVF is going to be the standard of care. In that case, you are going to be looking at an out-of-pocket cost of anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 per IVF cycle. And then you have to have medication that can cost $5,000 to $7,000. If you wanted to do that two or three times, you can see how that’s going to quickly add up.

This was a bill last year and it didn’t make it through. Tell us why.

Berman: Well, it was originally introduced by one of our advocates, her name is Miraya Gran from Bloomington. She was very pregnant and had a very long journey getting to that place. And she was mad. She was mad that other people were not able to get to the point she was at.

She marched into her lawmaker’s office and talked to him about getting a bill written. That bill was introduced in 2022. There was a cost study by the Department of Commerce over the summer.

Last year, it was reintroduced in both the House and Senate. We had some wonderful success in the Senate. It was amended onto the [Health and Human Services] omnibus bill and unfortunately, it wasn’t accepted in committee. So, we’re back this year and just really hoping it gets passed this year.

What do you see from other states about how much this cost? Do premiums go up? Or do the various public insurance plans in those states have to foot the bill?

Collura: This bill has two components to it. One is the impact to the state budget because of the coverage for MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance. What we see in other states that have had an insurance mandate for IVF is that the premium cost increase for those private employers is less than one percent. It’s pennies per day.

Why do you see that this legislation is necessary now and for this session?

Berman: The reason it’s necessary now is one in seven women are experiencing infertility. And that translates to 186,000 Minnesotans.

They do not have time. People who are diagnosed with cancer don’t have time to mess with insurance. They need the standard of care to freeze their eggs or sperm right away so they can start their treatments.

So, it is just imperative that we get this done. People are suffering and it’s a disease and should be covered like any other disease.

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Minnesotans with unaffordable family insurance can enroll in MNsure during special period

Forum staff — Fri, 12 May 2023 16:54:41 GMT

ST. PAUL — Minnesotans with unaffordable family insurance through an employer can enroll in Minnesota's health insurance marketplace MNsure during a special enrollment period that closes in October. The employer-sponsored insurance must have a renewal date other than Jan. 1.

Thanks to a new IRS rule, those covered by employer-sponsored health insurance could be eligible for tax credits through MNsure that would reduce the cost of private health plans, MNsure said in a news release.

"We strongly encourage all interested families to take advantage of free help from a MNsure-certified broker who can help you understand your options and make an informed choice," MNsure CEO Libby Caulum said in the release.

Consumers can access MNsure's online tools, such as:

An employer insurance affordability estimator to determine the affordability of current coverage A plan comparison tool to see what a MNsure plan would cost and learn about available financial assistance A search function for a MNsure-certified broker to offer advice on the best plan to meet needs or provide free enrollment help

Those interested should wait to end current coverage until receiving an official eligibility determination form.

Learn more at https://www.mnsure.org/new-customers/enrollment-deadlines/special-enrollment/sep-le/family-esi/index.jsp.

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Are severe storms fueling changes in homeowner insurance policies?

David Olson — Wed, 10 May 2023 13:08:00 GMT

ST. PAUL — Some insurance carriers in Minnesota are making changes to policy language that eliminate coverage for wind and hail damage except when siding or shingles are punctured or torn, a trend that is emerging across the country driven by increases in extreme weather due to changing climate.

That's according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, which issued a consumer alert late last summer advising homeowners to check their insurance coverage for wind and hail limits.

The alert was sparked by growing complaints from homeowners concerned about coverage denials or unexpectedly high out-of-pocket costs after damage from storms, according to the Department of Commerce, which advises consumers to study their insurance policies for changes since their last review and to ask their insurance agents about policy coverage, exclusions, deductions and options.

According to the agency, a good time to do that is at insurance renewal time, when carriers sometimes make changes regarding premium costs, coverage amounts and exclusions.

Julia Dreier, deputy commissioner for the Minnesota Commerce Department's Insurance Division, recently released an op-ed piece addressing the impact of climate change on the nation's weather and the damage it causes.

Dreier noted that in 2022, Minnesota was hit by at least six weather disasters, each resulting in at least a billion dollars' worth of damage, the largest number of such storms in the state since federal agencies began keeping track.

When it came to the number of storms carrying severe hail last year, Dreier said Minnesota was third in the nation, behind Texas and Nebraska.

Checking what's covered

According to Dreier, in some states, insurers are reducing their exposure to high numbers of claims by canceling coverage or leaving the market altogether.

Another way insurance carriers are dealing with the situation is to raise premiums or change benefits to cover expected risks, according to Dreier.

"In Minnesota, that trend has led to more unhappy consumers," Dreier said, adding that since 2020 the Commerce Department had recorded a 55% increase in homeowners insurance complaints.

Many of the complaints were from consumers concerned about coverage denials or unexpectedly high out-of-pocket costs after damage from wind or hailstorms, she said.

North Dakota, too, is seeing an increase in insurance providers writing what are known as "cosmetic damage" exclusions into policies, according to Jacob Just, director of communications for the North Dakota Insurance Department.

He added the department is also hearing from consumers concerned about cosmetic damage exclusions.

"It's a common complaint we receive at the department, especially after the first hailstorms of the season," Just said, adding that when they get such calls, the department's consumer assistance staff can help policyholders better understand that part of their policy.

"Consumers should have regular conversations with their insurance agent to ensure everything they want covered has the appropriate coverage," said Just, who noted that the use of cosmetic damage exclusions by insurance companies is nothing new and he said they aren't necessarily linked to effects of climate change or recent stormy weather.

"We would say it has nothing to do with either (climate change or storms). It's more of a business/economic decision by insurance companies," he said.

Hardening homes

Dreier, who views the potential impact of climate change on insurance coverage differently, said one way Minnesota can meet the threat posed by increasingly severe weather would be to adopt a program the Commerce Department is proposing called Strengthen Minnesota Homes, which is spelled out in House bill HF2300.

Modeled after a similar setup that has been successful in Alabama, the program would do two things: provide grants to retrofit homes to make them more weather resistant and establish mandatory reductions in some homeowner insurance premiums.

The proposal would prioritize low-income populations that are disproportionately impacted by climate change and which have the fewest resources to protect their homes or rebuild after a storm.

Dreier said such a program would benefit homeowners, the insurance industry and the state.

"While investing to make one roof storm resistant may only benefit a single homeowner, individual action multiplied across an entire community or communities can meaningfully shrink the insurance risk posed by climate change," she said.

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