At Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth on Friday,

State officials, doctors, patients and advocates continued a series of statewide roundtables educating Minnesotans on the impact of proposed federal cuts to vital health care programs.

The second roundtable took place on Friday at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center.

Changes proposed in the U.S. Congress to Medicaid and health care funding could result in $880 billion in cuts nationwide to health care programing that benefits 1.3 million Minnesotans.

While specific proposals have yet to be unveiled, state estimates show that Minnesota could lose as much as $1.6 billion annually in federal support for health care programs serving a wide swath of Minnesotans, including children, those who are pregnant, seniors and people with disabilities.

“The proposed $880 billion target is not just an abstract figure. It represents a direct threat to the health and well-being of countless Minnesotans and the stability of our health care system,” said John Connolly, state Medicaid director. “This significant number underscores the potential harm facing our state, and the truly challenging choices that will have to be made if these cuts are enacted.”

Medicaid is a foundational component of Minnesota’s health care system, injecting billions of dollars into communities across the state and helping hospitals remain operational. In northeastern Minnesota alone, Medicaid and MinnesotaCare invest $1.8 billion annually in care for residents, covering nearly 200,000 enrollees.

Many Minnesotans could lose their coverage and access to lifesaving health care and preventive medicine if Medicaid is cut. Without comprehensive health care coverage, people are likely to skip early and preventive care, leading to worse outcomes and more expensive treatments later.

Significant service cuts could be required for the people who remain on Medicaid. These reductions would severely limit coverage, forcing vulnerable populations – particularly older adults and people with disabilities – to make difficult choices about their care, including long-term care options. Older adults and people with disabilities make up approximately 15% of Medicaid enrollees and account for roughly 60% of total spending, highlighting the disproportionate impact of these cuts on those who rely on long-term care.

“For the women, children and newborns we care for at Essentia Health, Medicaid is often foundational to their access to health care,” said Dr. Michael Kassing, an OB/GYN at Essentia. “Our patients have enough on their plates without having to worry about access to care and coverage. My team and I want to make sure they can continue to receive world-class care here at Essentia, and Medicaid has been key to doing exactly that.”

In addition, the looming expiration of enhanced premium tax credits and other changes to the individual market and MinnesotaCare will result in higher health costs for Minnesotans, causing many to lose coverage.

The event in Duluth is the second in a series of roundtables state officials will be holding on the proposed federal health care cuts. The first was in St. Paul. More roundtables are planned in Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud and other locations.

Find more information about the impact of Minnesota’s Medicaid program and numbers specific to your area at mn.gov/dhs/medicaid-matters.

Congressman Tom Tiffany sent this statement: “Medicaid should be preserved for the most vulnerable – the disabled, pregnant women, single mothers, and low-income children. To protect the program, we must implement reforms to root out fraud, enforce work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults, and ensure benefits do not go to illegal aliens. Wisconsin voters overwhelmingly support these measures, and with over half a trillion dollars in improper Medicaid payments over the past decade, they are just common sense. Republicans are committed to safeguarding Medicaid, so it remains a lifeline for those who need it.”

Congressman Pete Stauber’s office sent this information:

Congress is currently working on putting forward a budget that protects Medicaid for those who need it by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse of the program. It is important to understand that during Biden’s administration, Democrats spent an egregious amount of taxpayer money to add millions of able-bodied, working aged people and illegal immigrants as beneficiaries of the Medicaid program. By allowing Medicaid to grow to over $600 billion per year in annual spending, Democrats have pushed this program to its tipping point, risking sustainability for the most vulnerable.

We want to ensure Medicaid only pays for American citizens and legal immigrants, establish work requirements for able-bodied adults who are choosing not to work and do not have dependent children or elderly parents in their care, and guarantee that Medicaid stops paying for beneficiaries who have died or do not qualify. These are not radical or extreme ideas. As we are facing $37 trillion in debt, it is past time that we identify exactly where Medicaid is being abused and make reforms to protect this program for those who need it. Medicaid is a valuable lifeline for our nation’s most vulnerable and the Congressman wants to ensure that it is there to support future generations of Minnesotans who actually need it.