Access to Coverage

In 2011, nearly 490,000 Minnesotans, 9.1 percent of the population, lacked health insurance, and 60 percent of those were eligible. At present in the United States, health insurance is the best way to ensure access to health care. According to the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, uninsured individuals are less likely to receive preventive care or care for routine medical conditions and injuries. Lack of preventive health care and lack of treatment for medical conditions can lead to more serious illnesses and health problems,  resulting in hospitalizations and deaths that could have been prevented. Lack of insurance has financial impacts on all of us.

This initiative focuses on increasing health care coverage for low-income Minnesotans who are eligible for coverage but are not currently enrolled. It also supports community organizations working together create a statewide network that serves uninsured Minnesotans in every county, conducting outreach, support, referral, application completion and guidance services. The initiative also helps these organizations to learn more about and prepare for health care reform.