Minnesota launched a major new benefit for workers in January.

The statewide paid family and medical leave program allows eligible workers to receive part of their pay while taking time off to recover from a serious illness, welcome a new child or care for a loved one.

More than 100,000 Minnesotans have applied for benefits so far, but questions remain about how smoothly the program is working and how employers are adjusting.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about what we’ve learned in the first nine months, who’s using the paid leave program and what needs to be improved.

Guests:

• Alice Mann is a DFL state senator who represents District 50, which includes Edina and Bloomington. She is also an emergency room physician.

• Evan Rowe is the deputy commissioner for workforce services and transformation at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, also known as DEED.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

Daren Wysocki received a letter last week from Eagan-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

The heading was blunt: “Important notice: Your Medicare plan won't be offered in 2027.”

The letter also outlined his options, including purchasing supplemental insurance or enrolling in another Medicare plan.

Wysocki, 68, lives outside Deerwood in central Minnesota. He spent 36 years working in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ forestry division and said he is in good health, takes medication for blood pressure and cholesterol, and was satisfied with his Medicare Advantage plan.

After reading the letter, he logged onto Medicare.gov and entered the ZIP code for his home in Crow Wing County, and discovered there were no Medicare Advantage plans available for 2027.

“Well, what the hell's going on here?” he said.

Wysocki is among nearly 390,000 Minnesotans who received notices this month that their Medicare Advantage plans would be discontinued next year, leading them to reconsider their coverage.

More than 1 million Minnesotans are enrolled in Medicare, the federal health insurance program primarily for people aged 65 and older, as well as some younger adults with qualifying disabilities.

The latest round of changes marks the second consecutive year in which many beneficiaries have had to reassess their coverage as insurers withdraw from parts of Minnesota’s Medicare Advantage market.

Several companies, including Bloomington-based HealthPartners, Minnetonka-based UnitedHealthcare and Medica, Kentucky-based Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, are ending contracts or altering their participation in the market. While some plans will be discontinued, new ones will be introduced, leaving beneficiaries with fewer choices in certain counties.

Insurers say rising medical and pharmacy costs have contributed to financial losses, prompting them to restructure their Medicare Advantage offerings.

Dana Erickson, president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield, announced in a statement that the company is restructuring all its Medicare Advantage plans in response to rising costs.

"In just the past three years, our company has lost more than $500 million on Medicare alone," Erickson said. "While I am reassured that our financial foundation remains strong, that does not mean we can ignore such an unsustainable trend."

Humana will stop selling individual Medicare Advantage plans in Minnesota. A company spokesperson told MPR News that Humana had fewer than 10,000 members in the state last year. The insurer will continue offering Medicare coverage in Minnesota, but only through employer and other group plans.

The open enrollment period for 2027 Medicare coverage began on Oct. 15, and many Minnesotans are scrambling to find new plans after being informed that their current ones are being eliminated. In some regions, this could result in a complete loss of access to Medicare Advantage plans.

Some counties will lose Medicare Advantage plans

For residents like Wysocki, the changes mean losing access to Medicare Advantage altogether.

No insurer is offering a Medicare Advantage plan in Crow Wing County for 2027.

About 70,00 people live in Crow Wing County, where roughly one in four residents is 65 or older, according to census data. The county’s median household income is about $73,000.

Wysocki worries that some residents will struggle to understand their options or find replacement coverage.

“I kind of keep on top of this stuff,” he said. “But the demographics of this county…there's a lot of seniors out there that I'm sure are going to be kind of rudderless and not knowing what to do.”

Understand the options

Medicare beneficiaries receive their coverage through original Medicare, administered by the federal government, or Medicare Advantage, offered by private insurance companies that contract with Medicare.

Both cover hospital and medical care, but differ in costs, provider access and prescription drug coverage.

Original Medicare allows beneficiaries to see any doctor or visit any hospital nationwide that accepts Medicare, without the provider networks typical of Medicare Advantage plans. It generally does not require referrals for covered services, although some services may require prior authorization. Beneficiaries can also purchase a private supplemental insurance policy, known as Medigap, to help cover out-of-pocket costs. Most also need separate prescription drug coverage if they want insurance for medications.

Medicare Advantage plans typically offer lower premiums and may include additional benefits, such as dental, vision and hearing coverage, as well as gym memberships. But they rely on provider networks that can limit patients’ choices of doctors and hospitals. Depending on the plan, beneficiaries may also incur higher monthly out-of-pocket costs and authorization requirements.

Maureen Schneider, chair of the Minnesota Board on Aging, said the changes are creating uncertainty for people who rely on their existing coverage.

“There are really quite a number of serious concerns this year,” she said. “Some people are not sure about whether their providers would be in network any longer, and that includes their preferred drugs or pharmacy suppliers.”

Beneficiaries whose plans are discontinued can review other available Medicare Advantage plans or consider switching to original Medicare. Schneider said comparing the cost of prescriptions, access to preferred doctors and hospitals, and the need for supplemental benefits can all influence what plan makes the most sense.

Finding help before the deadline

Medicare’s annual enrollment period runs from Oct.15 through Dec. 7. During this time, individuals can enroll in Medicare or modify their existing health and prescription drug coverage for the upcoming year. Any changes made during this period take effect on Jan. 1.

People whose Medicare Advantage plans are discontinued may also qualify for a special enrollment period, allowing them additional time to select coverage.

Free enrollment assistance is available through Aging Pathways, a statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging. Schneider said demand surged in 2025 as the enrollment deadline approached.

“Last year, our longest wait time, getting towards the deadline, was three hours and 46 minutes, and callers were willing to wait because they were very anxious to make sure that they got everything right before the deadline,” she said.

Wysocki did not wait to call and has already decided what to do. He plans to switch to original Medicare, buy a supplemental Medigap policy, and enroll in a separate prescription drug plan.

The change will cost him at least $150 more per month.

For Wysocki, the decision is straightforward. But he worries that other older Minnesotans might find it harder to navigate their options, particularly in counties where Medicare Advantage plans are disappearing entirely.

Public health officials are urging anyone who has not been vaccinated against measles to get vaccinated as case numbers in the state climb.

Since mid-September, the Minnesota Department of Health said there have been 25 cases of measles confirmed in two unrelated clusters amid a resurgence of the preventable disease. Six cases are in Fillmore County in southeast Minnesota, and 19 cases are in Todd County in central Minnesota. All involve unvaccinated people.

“There are pockets of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated people across Minnesota, and anyone who isn't vaccinated against measles is at risk — especially right now,” the health department wrote in a press release Thursday.

The median age of Minnesota’s measles cases is about 7 years old. Todd County, which has the most cases, has the lowest vaccination rates in the state for kids born in 2023, according to state data. No one has been hospitalized in Minnesota due to measles this year, but some people have had to seek emergency room care.

Minnesota’s outbreaks are not connected to multiple outbreaks in Wisconsin. In the past month, the number of people infected in Wisconsin has skyrocketed from 166 to 267 measles cases.

The United States declared measles eliminated from the country in 2000, but the disease has had a resurgence due to plummeting vaccination rates, said Jayne Griffith, senior epidemiologist with the health department.

“Up until probably the past couple of years, most of the measles cases that we saw in the United States were sparked by an unvaccinated person who traveled internationally, got infected and then got sick when they returned home,” Griffith said. “That is no longer the case. What we are seeing now in the United States is people just getting infected in the United States.”

The CDC has reported 4,080 confirmed cases in the U.S. so far this year, already surpassing last year’s total count of 2,289. It’s the highest number of reported cases of measles since 1991.

In Pennsylvania, which has seen a particularly large outbreak, at least six people have died from measles in recent months. Two were infants who were too young to receive the MMR vaccine.

Griffith said vaccine skepticism has grown, partly fueled by false claims from top federal government officials. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that childhood vaccines cause autism. And the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many families routine medical care, meaning many kids missed out on their scheduled vaccinations.

Griffith said that if people have questions or concerns about the vaccine, they should talk to their health provider.

“There really is a lot of measles in the United States, and the best way to not have to worry about getting it is to be vaccinated,” Griffith said.

For decades, the coal mining industry has been reckoning with a disease called black lung. Now a similar condition is disabling and even killing workers who cut artificial stone, for trendy quartz countertops and backsplashes. It's called silicosis, and you get it by breathing in tiny crystals of a mineral called silica.

The nation's largest manufacturer of artificial stone is Cambria, a company based in Minnesota. But California is the epicenter of silicosis cases in the U.S. and regulators in that state could soon ban the making of these products.

For more on what health professionals in California and around the country are seeing in silicosis patients, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Dr. Sheiphali Gandhi. She leads the California Silicosis Support and Research Network at the University of California-San Francisco, where she is an assistant professor of medicine.

MPR News reached out to Cambria, which has faced hundreds of lawsuits related to silicosis, and has not received a response. The company has said repeatedly that it maintains safe working conditions, partly by wetting facilities to keep dust out of the air. It blames lung disease on smaller fabrication shops in the supply chain.

The Minnesota Department of Health tracks silicosis cases using hospitalization data. Cases have decreased over the last 15 years, according to a spokesperson.

“Recent events in other states have raised the profile of silicosis among public health professionals and we are working to learn more about the silicosis issue,” the spokesperson said in a statement to MPR News. “MDH will continue to monitor our data for any significant changes and will explore changes to state statute that may ease the burden of reporting on providers and ensure quality data.”

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Last year, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping tax and spending bill — originally called the One Big Beautiful Bill. It included significant changes to Medicaid, the government health insurance program that helps people with lower incomes pay for medical care.

Some changes to eligibility rules have already taken effect while changes to work requirements are scheduled to begin in 2027.

MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about what the changes mean for Minnesotans who rely on Medicaid and for the healthcare system as a whole.

If you’re looking for affordable medical care, you can find local resources here: Community Health Centers.

Guests:

• Robin Rudowitz is a senior vice president and director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at KFF, an independent source for health policy research, polling and news.

• Jonathan Watson is the CEO of the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. 

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

It was a deceptively warm weekend that felt like one last gasp of summer. But still, we are deep in autumn, also known as the start of cold and flu season. Some public health experts say rates of respiratory illness have picked up earlier than usual this year in parts of the U.S.

Walgreens sales of cold and flu medicine are up more than 20 percent compared to this time last year, according to ABC News. And doctors are recommending getting vaccinated against viruses like flu, COVID-19 and RSV by the end of October.

For more information, Minnesota Now reached out to Katherine Montag Shafer. She’s a pharmacist and associate professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.

Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services is suing UnitedHealthcare, alleging the nation’s largest health insurer is falsely advertising its 2027 Medicare Advantage plans by including Fairview hospitals and clinics in its network.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Minnesota, comes after Fairview chose not to renew its contract with UnitedHealthcare in June. Fairview claims that UnitedHealthcare is misleading Medicare Advantage customers by suggesting that the health system will remain part of its network in 2027.

“Fairview’s current patients and Medicare beneficiaries shopping for coverage (mostly Minnesota seniors) will be confused about whether Fairview is in-network with UHC and they could lose their chance to choose a different plan for 2027 that allows them to see providers at Fairview during the annual enrollment period,” the complaint said.

The court filing stated that Fairview is not currently in negotiations with the insurer and does not expect to reopen discussions.

In a statement to MPR News, UnitedHealthcare wrote that they are actively collaborating with Fairview in “good faith” to reach a mutually affordable agreement, while also maintaining long-term access for the health system’s members. If an agreement cannot be reached, UnitedHealthcare said members will be notified about the possibility of Fairview going out of network, following the guidelines set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services.

According to the complaint, Fairview has encountered difficulties in its dealings with UnitedHealthcare MA plans for years, citing payment delays, low reimbursement rates, prior authorization challenges, and payment denials.

The dispute came to a head in September, when Fairview asked UnitedHealthcare to confirm that the health system would not be listed in provider directories for 2027, according to the lawsuit. Fairview said UnitedHealthcare appeared surprised by the request and could not provide an answer. Fairview then requested written confirmation that same day. In the days that followed, Fairview’s legal team sent UnitedHealthcare a notice stating that the health system would not participate in the insurer’s MA plans in 2027.

But UnitedHealthcare’s annual notice of change directed enrollees to an online provider directory that, according to the lawsuit, continued to list Fairview as an in-network provider for 2027.

“The notice also tells members that if they do not select another plan, their enrollment will continue automatically,” a Fairview spokesperson said in a statement. “Fairview argues that leaving inaccurate network information in place as annual enrollment begins could have significant consequences for Minnesota seniors. Patients may select or renew UnitedHealthcare coverage believing they will continue to have access to Fairview, only to learn later that Fairview will be out of network in 2027.”

Fairview estimates that about 33,000 of its current patients are enrolled in UnitedHealthcare MA plans each year.

The health system is seeking several forms of relief, including a temporary restraining order before Medicare’s annual enrollment period begins on October 15. Fairview is asking the court to require UnitedHealthcare to correct its network information and turn over profits it earns from Fairview patients who enroll in its MA plans for 2027. It is also seeking compensatory damages for costs associated with outreach to Medicare patients.

The lawsuit does not affect Fairview’s separate commercial health insurance agreement with UnitedHealthcare. Patients who have UnitedHealthcare’s insurance coverage through their employer will continue to have in-network access to Fairview in 2027.

Fairview said it has been communicating directly with patients about the Medicare Advantage change and providing resources to help them understand their coverage options ahead of annual enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7.

“We are asking the court to require accurate information before enrollment begins, when patients still have the opportunity to make an informed choice,” said Dr. Jaya Kumar, Fairview’s chief medical officer, in a statement.

Every Wednesday, MPR News with Angela Davis explores health and wellness topics with experts and listeners across Minnesota.

Listen to highlights from recent broadcasts on colorectal cancer, the potential health benefits of fermented foods and breaking down barriers to dental care.

Guests:

• Dr. Ajay Prakash is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School and an oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers at M Health Fairview. He is also a Masonic Cancer Center researcher.

• Dr. Shahnaz Sultan is a professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School, a gastroenterologist with M Health Fairview, and a Masonic Cancer Center researcher.

• Dr. Elmi Abdulkadir Elmi is a dentist and co-founder of All About Dentistry, a general dental practice with locations in Burnsville and West St. Paul. He was also selected as a 2026 Bush Fellow, recognized for his work expanding access to oral health care.

• Dr. Sheila Riggs is an associate professor of dental public health in the School of Dentistry at the University of Minnesota and chair of the Association of Critical Access Dental Providers of Minnesota.

• Andres Gomez is an associate professor of animal science and food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota.

• Kylene Guse is a researcher and founder of the Living Food Initiative where she explores the connection between food, microbes, ecology and culture. She was also co-owner of the now-closed GYST Fermentation Bar in Minneapolis.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

In a sunny room at a Twin Cities-area assisted living home, a young woman leans down to squeeze her mother’s hand, as she sits in a wheelchair.

The care facility has been the mother’s home for four years. Here, she gets care for a brain injury sustained in a bombing at the Kabul airport. She can’t walk or take care of herself — but she can answer basic questions and laugh at her daughter’s jokes in her weekly visits.

Both women are asylees from Afghanistan, and asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation from the federal government based on their immigration status. Speaking in Farsi with an interpreter, the daughter said the care home covers what her mother needs for day-to-day life.

“They provided us all the medication which is required,” she said. “My mother requires 24-hours-a-day care, and that is the kind of place she will need.”

But in the coming days, she may have to move her mother out — and the family doesn’t know where she’ll go. Her Medicaid benefits, which covered her stay in this care home, ended on Oct. 1, due to federal rule changes enacted in the “one big beautiful bill.”

“We are in a stressful situation,” her daughter said. “We are thinking all day long, day and night, to find out the solution.”

So far, she doesn’t have one. Advocates for the family — and for immigrants in similar situations — say it’s creating a massive strain for them, and for the agencies and counties that are now scrambling to cover their care.

What rules changed?

According to Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, more than 5,000 immigrants in the state lost Medicaid coverage due to the federal rule change this week.

Under the old rules, immigrants in the United States legally — including refugees and asylees — were eligible for Medicaid before they got their green card. The new rule eliminates eligibility for anyone over the age of 21 and not pregnant who doesn’t yet have a green card.

The impacted group also includes Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, trafficking victims, noncitizens protected under the Violence Against Women Act, and qualified noncitizen veterans living in Minnesota.

“The Trump Administration has a public mandate, a statutory obligation, and a moral duty to safeguard our federal healthcare programs,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in a statement announcing guidance on Medicaid changes.

A spokesperson at DHS said that most of the individuals impacted — about 75 percent — will qualify for the state’s insurance program, Minnesota Care.

But Minnesota Care doesn’t cover some of the services that Medicaid waivers do. Those allow people to get care and support in their homes and communities — like the care home service that the Afghan woman receives.

DHS has identified more than 200 people receiving waiver services who are losing their coverage.

A family ‘trapped’

The daughter found out about the rule change via a letter in the mail from DHS, notifying her that her mother would no longer be eligible for Medicaid under the new rules. She saw it less than two weeks ago. The family appealed the end of care, but has not heard an answer.

They believe the mother will also lose access to her wheelchair, which was paid for through Medicaid.

The daughter says she can’t take her mother in; she lives in an apartment with no elevator, and has to leave home to go to work.

She asked for help from Michael Van Keulen. He’s the executive director of Open Path Resources, a Twin Cities organization helping immigrant communities navigate life in Minnesota.

Van Keulen said the family has only found two possibilities for the mother, should she have to leave the care home: a homeless shelter, or a stay at Hennepin County Medical Center.

A homeless shelter, he said, is off the table. They’re not equipped to accommodate the mother’s need for around-the-clock care.

And the county hospital isn’t an ideal option, either.

“They'll have to take up a bed with no solution in sight, no change in sight, and dramatically more expensive model of care,” Van Keulen said.

For now, the woman is still in the care home. The home’s director told MPR News she worked out a plan to keep her there for a few extra days, with the home taking on the cost of her care. But after that, the small, seven-bed home can’t afford to cover the bill for her care.

The daughter said the problem would also be solved if they were able to get their green cards, which she says her family applied for two years ago. But their applications are still pending.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, current processing times for green card applications are about three years. Immigration experts in the Twin Cities say that, a few years ago, it took just nine months.

Van Keulen said that leaves the family squeezed from two sides, with no word on their green cards and no word on how to access the healthcare they need without them.

“These are people intentionally trapped into a status that's being attacked,” Van Keulen said.

Looking for solutions

Immigrant assistance organizations are helping eligible clients transfer over to Minnesota Care. But the process can be tricky to navigate.

Michelle Eberhard, director of refugee services at the International Institute of Minnesota, said every individual is in a different situation. Some people received letters informing them that they’d been automatically switched to Minnesota Care; others received another letter from DHS with forms and instructions to apply for Minnesota Care.

“It's not totally clear to me kind of how someone ends up in one process versus the other,” Eberhard said.

The result is a logistical maze.

“The concern I have is that there are people who may not really understand what's happened, and if there was an action that was needed prior to Oct. 1, that could be problematic because they would go into the month potentially not covered,” Eberhard said.

Van Keulen said the family he works with has not found a way to get the woman’s current needs covered under Minnesota Care. He’s gone to officials in Hennepin County and state legislators to ask for help.

Hennepin County Commissioner Heather Edelson said the county is scrambling, too. She’s been on the phone with constituents and case managers, trying to figure out what is and isn’t covered in different people’s unique cases.

“We want to figure out how to get people the care they need, but the county also can't take on costs that can't be covered for every single person that is not able to get Minnesota Care,” Edelson said.

She said it’s part of a broader concern she has about the federal government cutting benefits and leaving counties to fill the gaps. In this instance, she said, the county is now on the hook for finding care for people, or paying their hospital bills if they can’t stay in their current care situations.

“We're trying to figure out with all of the changing rules how we can actually be helpful, and there's a lack of resources with an abundance of people to help,” Edelson said.

The family at the center of this situation is hoping they find an answer before they need to move the mother out of her home — and likely into Hennepin County Medical Center.

The daughter said she’s grateful for all the help she’s getting, and for the benefits the government has provided her mother before. But after surviving a bombing and going through the process to get asylum and apply for green cards, she said, she feels like the government is breaking a promise to her and her family.

“You leaving us here in this situation is injustice,” she said. “We were not expecting this situation. We came here as legal immigrants … we followed rules and policy.”

The Minnesota DHS Refugee and Immigrant Helpline remains available for free at 1-800-814-4806, and individuals can call to connect with resources for healthcare and insurance.

MPR News health reporter Erica Zurek contributed to this story

A legislative hearing Thursday morning assessed the state’s healthcare mergers.

It’s a timely topic after Tuesday’s announcement that Bloomington-based HealthPartners and Duluth-based Essentia Health want to merge. Sanford Heath and North Memorial's merger was approved and went into effect last month. The merger between Minnesota-based Allina Health and California-based Sutter Health remains up in the air.

Jennifer Schultz, a University of Minnesota Duluth professor of economics and healthcare management, said all these mergers are in response to federal cuts.

“There's just a lot of uncertainty with hospitals, and their decision is to get larger,” she said.

While a consolidation between two hospitals in different markets can expand healthcare access, Schultz said research shows the gains are rarely felt by patients.

“It can lead to higher prices, anywhere between 6 percent to 16 percent increases,” She added.

Former Attorney General Lori Swanson oversaw the merger between Northwest Airlines and Atlanta-based Delta airlines in 2008. She said those higher prices are because larger hospitals are able to negotiate higher reimbursements from insurance companies.

“Which then ultimately get passed along to insurance customers,” Swanson said.

She explained that recent legislation has allowed the state’s attorney general’s office to scrutinize merger deals more closely. And if a merger is going to happen in Minnesota, they have to notify the office and provide extensive information on proposal.

“And give the attorney general the chance to object before the merger can go forward,” she explained.

Schultz, a former DFL lawmaker, said with the explosion of healthcare costs, it might be time for the legislature to step in to help as well.

Listen to either conversation by clicking the player above.

Health insurance premiums for thousands of Minnesotans will increase in 2027, following significant hikes in 2026.

Insurers offering plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplace requested a median rate increase of about 15 percent across all 50 states in 2027. This marks the second consecutive year of double-digit premium increases, according to an analysis by KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling, and news organization.

In Minnesota, the Department of Commerce released final 2027 health insurance rates Thursday. Premiums will rise by double digits in both the individual and small-group markets, with every approved insurance carrier in the state set to increase rates by at least 10 percent.

While multiple factors contribute to these rate hikes, they mainly stem from rising healthcare costs, inflation, prescription drug expenses, labor shortages, higher payments to healthcare providers and the expiration of enhanced federal Affordable Care Act tax credits that had lowered premiums for many consumers.

“The main drivers are that healthcare costs continue to increase, so it's just more expensive for the hospitals to pay their rent, their physicians and other healthcare staff,” said Julia Dreier, Minnesota’s temporary commissioner of commerce. “We see a lot of increases in the prescription drug space as well.”

HealthPartners, Inc., one of Minnesota’s carriers, has the highest approved average increase in the individual market at 21 percent. Other carriers, including Blue Plus, HealthPartners Insurance Company, Medica and Quartz, have received average rate increases ranging from 10 percent to 18 percent.

Average increases in the small group market range from 10 to 21 percent.

About 190,000 Minnesotans get health insurance through the small group market, which caters to businesses with two to 50 full-time employees. Another roughly 200,000 people are covered through the individual health insurance market, available to those who do not receive coverage through an employer or public programs such as Medicare or Medicaid.

These increases could impact individuals and families who buy coverage directly from insurers or through MNsure, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace, as well as farmers, retirees and small-business owners.

Insurance premiums vary by location, according to Dreier. She said residents in different areas, like Duluth and the Twin Cities, potentially pay different rates for the same plans.

Insurers can also adjust premiums based on age, within federal limits, meaning older consumers may face higher premiums compared to younger enrollees.

Federal changes add pressure to the individual market

The Minnesota rate increases coincide with changes to federal healthcare subsidies and Medicaid eligibility.

At the end of 2025, Congress chose not to extend enhanced ACA premium tax credits that had been expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. These enhanced credits increased the amount of financial assistance available to eligible marketplace enrollees and removed the previous income limit for receiving subsidies.

The expiration of these tax credits contributed to a decline in marketplace enrollment in 2026, according to KFF, as healthier consumers were more likely to drop their coverage.

MNsure health insurance enrollment fell by more than 17,000 people in May 2026 compared to May 2025.

Minnesota’s uninsured rate has also risen. Data from the Minnesota Health Access Survey show that the percentage of Minnesotans without health insurance increased from 3.8 percent in 2023 to 5.8 percent in 2025. This amounts to more than 100,000 additional uninsured people and represents the state’s highest uninsured rate in six years.

The combination of higher premiums and reduced federal financial assistance mean that more Minnesotans could lose coverage.

The rate increases follow President Donald Trump’s extensive tax and spending package which cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid last year, a decision expected to lead to nearly 12 million Americans becoming uninsured over the next decade.

On Thursday, more than 5,000 refugees, asylees, Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, trafficking victims, noncitizens protected under the Violence Against Women Act and qualified noncitizen veterans living in Minnesota became among the first groups to lose Medicaid coverage under changes enacted through the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July.

The law ends Medicaid eligibility for many immigrants with legal status who do not yet have green cards, affecting hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S.

For Minnesotans shopping for health insurance coverage, open enrollment for 2027 plans begins on Nov. 1.

Minnesota is poised to adopt its first statewide K-12 health education standards after receiving approval from an Office of Administrative Hearings judge earlier this week. Until now, local districts largely determined how subjects were taught.

MPR News host Clay Masters spoke with Jill Farris, Director of Training and Education at the Center for Healthy Youth Development at the University of Minnesota. She explained the new standards and what they may look like in the classroom.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Starting Thursday, more than 5,000 immigrants in Minnesota will lose access to federally funded Medicaid health coverage following changes enacted in a sweeping tax and spending bill signed into law in July by President Donald Trump.

The law ends Medicaid eligibility for many immigrants with legal status who do not yet have green cards, including refugees and asylum seekers. It affects hundreds of thousands of immigrants across the country.

Michelle Eberhard, director of refugee services at the International Institute of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, said hundreds of refugees her office assists previously qualified for federal Medicaid coverage, known in Minnesota as Medical Assistance, based on their legal status in the U.S. Under the new rules, they will lose it.

“This is a dramatic shift, especially for those individuals who maybe have some medical needs that require more attention,” Eberhard said. “To have kind of built their lives around the understanding of those types of supports, and then now, suddenly, things are changing.”

According to Minnesota’s Department of Human Services, the changes will affect more than 5,000 noncitizen adults in the state aged 21 and older who are not pregnant.

In addition to refugees and asylees, this includes Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees, trafficking victims, noncitizens protected under the Violence Against Women Act, and qualified noncitizen veterans living in Minnesota. Green card holders can keep their Medical Assistance coverage.

“The Trump Administration has a public mandate, a statutory obligation, and a moral duty to safeguard our federal healthcare programs,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in a statement announcing guidance on Medicaid changes.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services began sending letters in late August and early September to individuals who will no longer qualify for Medical Assistance. Those who lose coverage may have other options, including private health insurance coverage through MNsure, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace.

A spokesperson for the Human Services Department said that 75 percent of those losing access to Medical Assistance are eligible for MinnesotaCare, a healthcare program for low-income Minnesotans.

“We in Minnesota are fortunate to have the option to offer people in this category MinnesotaCare,” temporary DHS Commissioner John Connolly said in a statement. “Other states have many more people impacted and do not have a similar program that can help.”

Eberhard acknowledged that MinnesotaCare is a good option, but she cautioned that the transition could still be complicated for many individuals. Her office is helping people switch health plans, but she is concerned some might be left without coverage in the coming months if they miss enrollment deadlines.

Immigrants are already less likely than U.S. citizens to have health insurance. Immigrant advocates and health policy experts say these changes could worsen the existing disparities in health coverage among noncitizen communities.

Eberhard said she worries the rule change could lead people to skip medical appointments.

“When something becomes more complicated to navigate, there are some people who are just going to say, ‘Actually, I don’t need to go to the doctor because I can’t figure out how to get there,’” Eberhard said.

Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare differ in several ways. MinnesotaCare requires a monthly premium and includes some co-pays, while Medical Assistance provides coverage for services that MinnesotaCare does not, such as home and community-based care and long-term care services.

Immigration service providers say it is particularly challenging due to the increasing wait times for green cards. Eberhard said refugees used to receive their green cards about nine months after applying; now, the process takes nearly three years.

This extended wait means people will spend more time ineligible for federal medical benefits.

Ruth LePage, director of refugee services at Arrive Ministries, said she is frustrated by the impact the change will have on the people her organization serves.

“We work with people who are legally present in the United States, have been invited into the country, have jobs and social security numbers, and pay their taxes, and have applied for the next step in the immigration process, and all of that seems to be worth nothing right now,” LePage said.

Service providers are assisting individuals in finding backup options before their Medicaid coverage ends on Oct. 1.

“It's a lot of paperwork and a lot of calling and being on hold and trying to get interpreters,” LePage said. “I would say it is yet another attack on lawful status holders in this country.”

The Minnesota DHS Refugee and Immigrant Helpline remains available for free at 1-800-814-4806, and individuals can call to connect with resources for healthcare and insurance.

The worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is several years behind us, but many Minnesotans are still living with its consequences in the form of long COVID.

Long COVID is a chronic condition that can last for weeks, months or even years after a COVID infection. A major symptom is extreme fatigue, and other symptoms can include everything from blood pressure changes and brain fog to joint pain and depression.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with a doctor and a public health leader about long COVID and other other post-infection chronic conditions that doctors are only beginning to understand.

Guests: 

• Dr. Tanya Melnik is an internal medicine doctor and director of the M Health Fairview Adult Post-COVID Clinic. She is also a clinical associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.

• Kate Murray manages the Long COVID and Post-COVID Conditions program at the Minnesota Department of Health, one of the first public health initiatives focused on understanding the impacts of long COVID and related conditions and improving access to support.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

Minnesota had no statewide K-12 academic standards for health, leaving local school districts to determine how students were taught topics including nutrition, human development and drug abuse and prevention. That changed Monday when a Minnesota Court of Administrative Hearings judge approved the state’s first K-12 health standards.

The standards could go into effect as early as the 2028-29 school year. Here’s what you need to know.

Initially denied, MDE asks for reconsideration

In July, Minnesota Chief Administrative Judge Jessica Palmer-Denig denied the proposed standards. She said the Minnesota Department of Education did not give adequate notice to state lawmakers or provide the public information about the costs of implementing the new standards, the latter being deemed a “harmless error” and not a reason for disapproval by Palmer-Denig.

According to Meg Bartlett-Chase, who serves as the executive director of the nonprofit Honest Sex Ed Minnesota and has a Ph.D. in education policy, MDE sent a request for reconsideration and resubmission on Sept. 21 saying students would greatly benefit from the standards.

On Monday afternoon, the judge accepted MDE’s amendments and approved the health standards.

What are the new standards and how will they be implemented?

The standards apply to students in grades K-12 and focus on topics like mental and emotional health, human growth and development, child abuse prevention, nutrition, sexual health, media literacy and drug and alcohol abuse and prevention.

The standards include grade-specific benchmarks and were created by a committee composed of parents, the public, teachers, students and other community members.

Benchmarks include describing how emotions influence behavior and how to manage them in healthy ways or identifying how sexually transmitted infections can be treated.

Bartlett-Chase said the goal of Honest Sex Ed Minnesota is to make sure health educators feel supported with the new expectations.

Parents are allowed to opt their children out of the course if they make reasonable arrangements for alternative instruction, and districts can still select the curriculum that best fits their community.

Advocates say passage is a turning point for Minnesota

Ahead of the standards being passed, Minnesota was one of only two states in the country without statewide health standards in schools, said Bartlett-Chase.

When it comes to sexual health education, the national nonprofit sex education group SIECUS gives Minnesota an overall grade of “C,” up from an “F” in 2024. DFL lawmakers have worked to broaden health standards for years, but past efforts have failed.

Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis, introduced two bills in previous years on comprehensive sexual health education that lacked support from other members and fell short.

Minnesota House Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, previously said she wanted health standards left up to local control, citing concerns about comprehensive sexual health education. She introduced a bill in 2024 to repeal future standards, but it did not make it out of committee.

While she told MPR News she worries the standards will be a “burden” on K-12 educators, she introduced a bill during the 2026 legislative session to prevent sexual grooming of children. It passed after she worked with Hannah Lo Presto, who shared her story with MPR News about surviving what a police investigation described as a “pattern of predatory grooming” by a former high school teacher.

Rasana Mamdani was 16 when she started working on the committee; she is now a freshman at college in North Carolina. She said when she got the email Tuesday that the standards passed, it felt like a chapter of her life closing, but for a good reason.

“I’m super, super proud of the standards that we created,” she said. “That payoff just makes me feel like I’ve been doing something meaningful with my life for the last four years, and it feels really good to know that I left Minnesota in a better place than I found it.”

Bartlett-Chase said the passage is a big step in supporting Minnesota youth.

“This is a huge moment; we had very little consistency around sex education or health education in Minnesota. I’m really seeing this decision as an exciting step forward and an opportunity for us to truly invest in our communities,” she said.

Correction (Sept. 30, 2025): A previous version of this story had the incorrect date of when the judges order was approved. The above story has been updated.

Death doulas help support and counsel people approaching the end of life. On Sunday, the Minnesota Death Collaborative hosted a conference in Eagan that drew hundreds.

While younger adults are starting to plan more, many Minnesotans are waiting too late to get their end-of-life plans in order, doula Jane Whitlock told MPR News.

“For me that's heartbreaking because it makes it really stressful and it feels like a crisis when in reality it's not,” Whitlock said, “This was an expected event.”

Listen to the full conversation by clicking the player above.

Another proposed health system merger is poised to further reshape Minnesota’s healthcare industry.

Bloomington-based HealthPartners and Duluth-based Essentia Health announced Tuesday that their respective boards of directors have approved a merger plan.

If approved by regulators, the merger of the two nonprofit health systems is set to be complete by the start of next year. The new organization would take the HealthPartners name and have about 45,000 employees staffing dozens of hospitals and clinics across Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota. It would be one of the largest healthcare systems in the region.

“This combination is about doing more for the people and communities who count on us,” HealthPartners President and CEO Andrea Walsh said in a statement announcing the merger.

“HealthPartners and Essentia Health share a belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality care and coverage, close to home and centered on their needs,” Walsh said. “Together, we can build on the strengths of both organizations to improve health, expand access and create a stronger future for the communities we serve.”

Essentia Health CEO Dr. David Herman said the two organizations “share similar missions and values, deep roots in this region, and a focus on improving health and well-being.”

“As a combined nonprofit health system, we will be able to better innovate and grow our workforce. That strong foundation will make us even better partners for our patients, working together to help people live their healthiest lives, wherever they call home,” Herman said in a statement.

It’s the third major proposed merger involving Minnesota health systems in 2026.

North Memorial Health and South Dakota-based Sanford Health completed a merger earlier this year.

And a proposed merger of Allina Health and California-based Sutter Health remains under review by state regulators.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Walsh and Herman said the merger is needed to confront challenges facing the broader healthcare sector, including rising healthcare costs and health insurance premiums, lower reimbursements, and workforce shortages.

“What we believe is HealthPartners and Essentia together, coming together, we can combine complementary strengths to improve health experience affordability and quality, and to navigate some of the industry trends that are a challenge not only in Minnesota but across the nation,” Walsh said.

“That’s what other health systems are finding — that when you have complementary capabilities, you’re stronger together,” Herman said.

Herman described the proposed merger as the two systems leading, rather than reacting, to a healthcare environment he described as “dynamic” and even “chaotic.”

“We know that while we’re strong, our patients, our communities, and our colleagues depend upon us. And coming together when we’re strong, working on things that we know are important — like access, affordability, getting your best care and your best health wherever you choose to live — are the things that are important,” he said.

HealthPartners and Essentia Health said Tuesday that they have “complementary strengths in care delivery, health plan coverage, urban and rural community health, research, medical education and innovation.”

They said the merger would give patients access to more medical expertise and specialists and give employees more career pathways within the organization.

Walsh would lead the combined organization, with Herman serving as president of combined clinical care group operations.

HealthPartners and Essentia said their patients and members should not see any changes or interruptions to health care or insurance coverage. Walsh and Herman said there are no plans to close clinics or hospitals.

For now, Essentia Health facilities will retain that branding. Herman said the plan is to convert them to the HealthPartners name at some point in the future, once the two systems are fully combined.

The Minnesota Nurses Association issued a statement saying it has “serious concerns” about the merger plan — with the union also saying its members who are employed by both health systems had no advance notice of the proposal ahead of Tuesday’s public announcement.

“Minnesota has now seen three major back-to-back healthcare consolidation announcements, and nurses are deeply concerned about what that could mean for our patients and communities,” MNA President Chris Rubesch, a registered nurse at Essentia Health, said in a statement. “Every time control over healthcare is concentrated in fewer hands, we need to understand what patients and communities stand to gain, what they could lose and who will be accountable for those outcomes.”

In a statement following Tuesday’s merger announcement, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office will gather public comments on the planned merger, as it reviews the proposal.

“Proposed healthcare consolidation requires close scrutiny,” Ellison said in a news release. “As we have done several times now, we will conduct a thorough review of this potential acquisition to ensure it complies with the law and is in the public interest.”

HealthPartners operates nine hospitals — including Regions Hospital in St. Paul — as well as dozens of clinics. It also offers health and dental insurance plans covering more than a 1.5 million people.

Essentia Health operates 14 hospitals and dozens of clinics in central and northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.

In 2025, Essentia Health was part of a proposed health system alliance involving Fairview Health Services and the University of Minnesota — but that proposal did not move forward.

In 2022, Essentia had also explored a possible merger with Wisconsin’s Marshfield Clinic Health System but later ended those discussions. Marshfield later merged with Sanford Health.

When Joy Loera opened Uni Uni Bubble Tea in 2023 it seemed like the perfect location — smack dab on Rochester’s busy Second Street corridor and right across the street from Mayo Clinic’s St. Marys hospital.

But three years later her storefront is all but hidden by trucks, cranes, concrete barricades and a chain link fence. The road is getting torn up and rebuilt for a new bus rapid transit line, which will have a fleet of buses run up and down it every few minutes in a loop.

It’s a signature component of Rochester’s 20-year, $5.6 billion Destination Medical Center redevelopment project aimed at remaking the city to accommodate booming population growth and make it more attractive to patients, their families, and other visitors who come to Mayo Clinic from all over the world.

“It’s really, really bad,” Loera said. “When we signed the lease, we had no idea this [would] be going on. You have to work double or triple of your usual work time [to make less money.] But if you don’t work that hard, you get nothing.”

Cars cannot drive past her entrance. There’s a parking lot in the back, but you’d have to follow a confusing maze of detour signs to find it.

Loera said it’s been like this for a year, and she’s expecting at least another year of the same. The bus rapid transit line is scheduled to open August 2027.

The construction is taking a toll on many businesses. Loera isn’t the only one losing business. Two of Loera’s neighbors on Second Street recently closed their restaurants, and a third business announced it will close later this year, citing lost business due to the ongoing construction. And many of the remaining shops and restaurants say they are just barely hanging on.

“Each day, it feels like I’m waiting to hear about the next business that’s going to close,” said Will Forsman, who owns Cafe Steam, a small chain of coffee shops in downtown Rochester.

What Rochester is experiencing is not unique. Yingling Fan, an urban and regional planning professor at the University of Minnesota said she sees the same disruptions happening in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

While big transportation infrastructure projects are typically worth it in the long run from an economic development perspective, Fan said that in the short-term, the construction can negatively impact business revenue. And some businesses have proven to be especially vulnerable, like small businesses with only one location and restaurants.

“The impact is not universal,” Fan said. “And it has an equity implication because typically the smaller business owners tend to be racial, ethnic minorities. If the city has a goal in terms of making sure the business community is diverse enough, it's really important to pay attention to the needs of the smaller businesses.”

‘No end in sight’

In late August, Jamphem “Pen” Seeley announced on social media that she was closing her restaurant, Thai-riffic, effective immediately:

“After two long years of navigating construction challenges and roadblocks, we have made the heartbreaking decision to close our front door permanently,” she wrote. “The detours and construction have made it increasingly hard for you to find us, and we deeply appreciate your unwavering support through it all.”

The brew pub Thesis Beer Project said in its closure announcement earlier that month that construction had cost it about 50 percent of its revenue. Tinn’s Grilled Philly Steak Subs, closed its Second Street Rochester shop and relocated to Northfield in March due to “construction challenges.”

Cindy Steinhauser, deputy city administrator for Rochester, said the city is trying its best to communicate frequently with businesses impacted by the construction.

She explained that the city maintains an interactive map on its website with construction timelines, it sends out a regular newsletter with updates on the bus rapid transit line, the city holds weekly virtual meetings that businesses can join to ask questions, and it has set up signage all over downtown to help people find businesses that might be hidden amid all of the construction.

“Our small businesses are the [lifeblood] of our community and our country,” Steinhauser said. “We want to try and support them to the best extent possible in the way that is most relevant for them.”

Will Forsman of Cafe Steam said, for him, the communication has been uneven at times, and he claims the city’s interactive website with the construction timelines isn’t always accurate.

“We were kind of blindsided by the construction itself,” Forsman said. “We were [given] assurances that construction was done for that segment of Second Street, only to have it resume like a month after we opened our location there.”

Forsman opened his newest location on Second Street in March. After a brief honeymoon period ended, he began to see an immediate downturn, with 30 to 40 percent fewer customers coming in than they had initially.

“People are just having a difficult time getting here,” said Forsman, whose location is blocked on the east and west by the construction. “And it feels like there’s really no end in sight as far as we can see.”

Wine Wednesdays, discounted coffees, and pop ups

In the meantime, some of the businesses on Second Street in Rochester are trying to make do by getting creative.

Spyhouse Coffee Roasters, another coffee shop along Second Street, has been suffering from construction since March 2025. It’s not only coping with the bus transit project — it’s also right across the street from Mayo Clinic’s massive hospital expansion.

Gil Paz, Spyhouse’s cafe manager, said the coffee shop has lost 30 percent of its business year over year. This location is a franchise and not a part of the Spyhouse chain of coffee shops in the Twin Cities, so it can’t rely on the other locations to stay afloat.

Paz said he knew he had to make changes, and fast.

Sometimes, the shop hosts live music or board game nights. They’ve tried hosting workshops on watercolor painting, cupcake decorating, and coffee tastings. Wine Wednesdays have become popular.

“We’re seeing 16 to 20 people show up,” Paz said. “They’re [crocheting] on the side or they’re working on puzzles over there. It’s just been really cool to see that community gathering space exists here.”

Paz said that these events have helped Spyhouse survive, but it’s still struggling.

“We know that at the end of [the construction,] it's going to be great, and we're going to be super thankful to have what is coming for the community,” Paz said. “It's just in the meantime, how do we navigate, adapt, and adjust to get us to the end of it?

Spyhouse’s neighbors are taking other approaches to make ends meet. While Thai-riffic no longer serves customers in its restaurant, it’s staying open as a catering business. Uni Uni, the bubble tea shop, has been doing pop ups across southeast Minnesota.

And Cafe Steam did a month-long partnership with Mayo Clinic, where hospital staff could get discounted coffees and Mayo Clinic footed the bill. Forsman said the incentive helped his daily sales a lot.

Moving forward

The University of Minnesota’s Fan explained that before big construction projects disrupt small businesses, it’s important for developers and the city to find ways to support those vulnerable shops and restaurants.

For example, she notes that back in 2011, when the light rail transit system was under construction across the Twin Cities, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis offered impacted small retail businesses and restaurants the ability to apply for $20,000, interest-free, forgivable loans to help them get through the downturn.

Paz of Spyhouse in Rochester said even if Mayo Clinic or the city was more intentional about ordering catered lunches or renting meeting spaces from businesses on Second St., that would be helpful.

“We're not asking for a handout, but we're your neighbors,” Paz said. “We're gonna help you if you need someone to help you mow your lawn, and we hope that you help us rake the leaves.”

Special thanks to Danger Boat Productions and the Minnesota Humanities Center for their Sketches of Minnesota events around the state that helped inform this report.

As respiratory virus season approaches, Minnesota clinics and pharmacies are offering updated COVID-19 and annual flu vaccines. But changing federal guidance has left some people uncertain about who should get vaccinated when.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved four updated COVID-19 vaccines in late August to target the latest circulating variants. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, has not issued new federal recommendations specifying who should get the shot. Instead, the agency is advising people to discuss COVID-19 vaccination with their healthcare provider.

Conversely, major medical groups, as well as health officials from Children’s Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health, continue to recommend vaccination for most people.

Health officials say vaccines are considered safe and remain the most effective tool for reducing the risk of severe illness and protecting those who are more vulnerable to respiratory viruses.

Here’s what Minnesotans should know about COVID-19 and flu vaccines this fall:

Who should get the COVID-19 vaccine?

The American Academy of Family Physicians recommends that all adults age 19 and older receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine for the 2026-27 season. Vaccination is especially encouraged for pregnant people, young children, adults 65 and older and people at higher risk of severe illness.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children ages 6 through 23 months.

Although many children who contract COVID-19 experience mild illness, health officials caution that the virus can sometimes cause serious complications, including heart inflammation, respiratory complications and long COVID.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

The Minnesota Department of Health recommends an annual flu vaccine for everyone age 6 months and older.

Adults 65 and older are encouraged to ask their health care provider about enhanced flu vaccine options, which are designed to produce a stronger immune response in people whose immune systems may not respond as strongly to standard vaccines.

When should people get vaccinated?

COVID-19 activity, including hospitalizations, remains relatively low nationally but has begun to increase, a pattern commonly seen in late summer and early fall.

Health officials expect COVID-19, influenza and RSV to circulate this fall and winter, with respiratory virus activity generally increasing after the holidays.

“Now is actually a really great time to get vaccinated before it's circulating and before we see that increase,” said Kate Kelly, Vaccines for Children program coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Kelly said updated COVID-19 vaccines are arriving at Minnesota clinics and pharmacies. She advises residents to call ahead to confirm availability and consult with their healthcare provider or their child’s pediatrician about which vaccines are appropriate.

Influenza follows a more predictable seasonal pattern compared to COVID-19, which can circulate throughout the year. Kelly recommends that adults get a flu shot in October to extend protection through the peak of flu season, but she said it is never too late to get vaccinated.

Minnesota health officials typically see flu cases peak in January and February, so Kelly suggests that people who have not been vaccinated in October should still consider getting a flu shot in November or December.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend that children ages 8 and younger who may need two doses of the flu vaccine get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

It takes around two to four weeks for the body to build an immune response after vaccination, according to Dr. Gigi Chawla of Children’s Minnesota.

Chawla said vaccination helps protect individuals from illness while also protecting people in the community who are too young to be vaccinated or have health conditions that prevent them from receiving vaccines.

She added that vaccination helps reduce the spread of respiratory viruses and said people who are sick should also stay home to avoid spreading the illness to others in the community.

Where can Minnesotans get a COVID-19 or flu vaccine?

Vaccines are readily available at Minnesota pharmacies, healthcare clinics and local health departments.

Pharmacies typically cannot vaccinate children under 3, so health officials say parents of young children should consult their primary care provider about vaccinations.

Most insurance plans cover the full cost of recommended vaccines. For adults age 19 and older who do not have insurance or whose insurance does not cover vaccines, there are clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured adults. For patients younger than 19 who do not have health insurance, the Vaccines for Children Program provides flu shots at no cost.

Stay up to date with our Politics newsletter, sent weekly.

Congress passed $101 million in funding for teen pregnancy prevention, and President Trump signed that into law as part of his budget bill. But with less than a week to go in the 2026 fiscal year, about $100 million of that funding remains unspent.

What gives?

According to a letter from members of Congress shared exclusively with NPR, the Department of Health and Human Services has spent about $500,000 of the $101 million it is obligated to give out in grants to organizations that work with teens.

"Withholding these funds deprives teens across the U.S. of vital resources and threatens to unwind decades of progress made in reducing teen pregnancy," reads the letter from the Democratic Women's Caucus to HHS. Ninety-two lawmakers in the House and Senate signed the letter, which was sent to HHS on Friday morning.

Grants to dozens of nonprofits, universities and health departments were cut off abruptly in June. Most were in the third year of a five-year funding cycle, according to the lawmakers' letter.

Stephanie McDowell is the executive director of Bridgercare, a nonprofit in Bozeman, Mont. It's one of about 50 organizations that had their grants terminated. "We truly had no indication that our funding would be cut," she says.

This recent loss of federal funding has been challenging, McDowell says. She's been trying to find other grants to apply to, but it's not easy. "Ultimately, we can't sustain an education program at the scale that we were at, serving 21 counties across the state of Montana without funding," she says. "And so we will have to lay off staff, and there will be youth that go without sex ed."

But it is possible that the federal grant funding will come back. HHS could decide to reinstate the grants by itself, or a lawsuit in federal court challenging the terminations might force the agency to do so.

The power of the purse

Congress established the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in 2010. It's long been a target of the Trump administration and some conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation. President Trump's 2027 budget request calls for eliminating it, labeling it leftist and ineffective, and he tried to cut all these grants in his first term.

But Trump also signed a budget bill into law in February that specifically allocated $101 million to the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.

"HHS is obligated to spend this money as directed by Congress," says Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., who is the lead author on the letter sent to HHS on Friday. "This is a bipartisan program created by Congress with the clear intent of supporting evidence-based education models that help reduce teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other health risks for young people."

She says that the Trump administration appeared to be trying to put those funds toward promoting abstinence. Soon after the agency canceled the grants in June, it issued a new funding opportunity for teen pregnancy prevention, which promoted abstinence-only sex ed. "This does not fulfill what Congress had appropriated and what its guidelines were," she says.

In August, Judge Christopher Cooper of the D.C. federal District Court ruled that HHS can't use those new requirements. "The TPP Program now mandates an abstinence-only approach to pregnancy prevention, promotes the nebulous concept of 'body literacy,' and prohibits the 'normalization' of sexual activity among minors. That new policy is likely arbitrary and capricious," he wrote.

The judge also flagged that the funding notice HHS sent out included citations for research papers that do not exist. The law allocating the funds specifically says programs must be evidence-based. Cooper's decision on whether to reinstate the terminated grants is expected soon.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to NPR's request for comment about the grants by publication time.

Broken trust

In Des Moines, Iowa, Kristin Fairholm is the executive director of EyesOpenIowa, another nonprofit that received the grant money. She says because of the sudden cuts, her organization had to cancel programs, "which then created some ripples in the community, reputation-wise and trust-wise."

"You work hard to recruit these families to come with their teens to do your programming, and then you're canceling them," Fairholm says. "It's been disheartening for us to have to tear everything down."

She says even if the funding is eventually restored, this sudden cancellation and the uncertainty for the organizations doing this work will lead to more teen pregnancies and more sexually transmitted infections. "I worry for our young people," she says. "I think we're doing them a huge disservice."

The teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. has been trending steadily downward in recent decades, hitting a record low in 2025.

Evidence-based sex education programs have been successful in Republican as well as Democratic-led states.

McDowell, in Montana, says she's heard from many parents who are wary of comprehensive sex ed programs.

"I always like to drive home the point that education and values are not the same thing," she says. "When we teach sex ed, we teach facts, we teach communication skills, healthy decision-making; parents and caregivers teach the values that guide those decisions.

"So we teach facts; families teach values," she says. "And those are truly complementary, not competing roles."

Copyright 2026, NPR

The union representing about 150 doctors at Allina Health’s Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and its Unity campus in Fridley announced Wednesday that it has reached a tentative agreement for a first contract with the health system.

Doctors Council SEIU, the union that represents the physicians, said the three-year contract includes pay transparency, greater professional autonomy and a grievance process for advocating on behalf of patients. However, the union has dropped its demand for paid sick leave, saying doctors were not receiving the time off required under state law.

The agreement follows a four-day strike last week, which is believed to be the first by inpatient doctors at a private-sector hospital in U.S. history.

“This hard-won first contract gives us the written protections we needed so we can keep providing the care our patients deserve, instead of watching burnout drive good doctors out,” said Dr. Saul Singh in a statement.

A spokesperson for Allina Health, one of Minnesota’s largest health systems, confirmed the tentative agreement in a statement and said the agreement will now go to a ratification vote by union members in the coming days.

If the doctors, including obstetricians, psychiatrists and critical care physicians, vote to ratify the contract, it will conclude three years of 66 contentious bargaining negotiations with Allina.

In 2023, Allina physicians voted to unionize after facing challenging conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The union said long hours and difficult working environments motivated the doctors to organize. Allina contested the vote, delaying federal certification of the union for nearly a year.

Dr. John Wust, an OB-GYN at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, said while striking outside of the hospital last week that, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, physician input was excluded from business decisions affecting patients.

He said unionized physicians at Allina are concerned about the growing influence of artificial intelligence in electronic medical records and the push to use AI in diagnosing patients.

“Our union collectively protects the rights of physicians in their advocacy for patients and patient safety in the context of very powerful economic forces, including the emergence of AI in healthcare,” Wust said on the tentative agreement with Allina.

The agreement comes while Allina pursues a proposed merger with California-based Sutter Health, which is currently under review by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.

The two healthcare systems said the agreement, if finalized, would result in an investment of more than $2 billion in facilities across Minnesota and western Wisconsin, including new locations and improved technology.

Unions representing doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers at Allina have expressed concerns about the merger and its potential impact on union members' contracts, benefits and patient care.

Minnesota teenagers are using cannabis at lower rates than they were a decade ago. But researchers and mental health experts say they’re still trying to understand what’s behind the change.

A new University of Minnesota study found the share of high schoolers reporting cannabis use in the past month fell from about 13 percent in 2013 to 5 percent in 2025.

“The biggest takeaway for me was that something's working in terms of reducing cannabis use overall and reducing some disparities,” said Marla Eisenberg, primary author of the University of Minnesota study. “So we need to figure out how we can take some of that positive action and apply it where we did not see reductions in disparities.”

The study did not examine what’s driving the change. Local mental health experts point to changing attitudes toward cannabis and prevention efforts as possible reasons for the decline. But they also say bullying and stress may be contributing to higher rates of cannabis use for some marginalized youth.

A national decline

The study’s findings are part of a broader national trend. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released this week shows cannabis use in the past 30 days is at an all-time low since the agency began asking youth the question in 1991. Reported use peaked in 1999 at 26.7 percent and was down to 12.9 percent last year.

Still, Eisenberg says she was surprised to see the drop as Minnesota moved into a legal recreational cannabis market for people 21 and older starting in 2023.

“I sort of assumed that when things were being legalized, there would be this uptick and the research has not supported that,” she said.

Eisenberg says the pandemic may have changed how teens socialize, with more interaction shifting online.

“We spend a lot more time on screens,” she said. “Even social time, not physically in person with other people.”

She said young people may also be spending more time in structured, supervised activities and less time hanging out with peers on their own — settings where substance use can occur.

“If those kinds of interactions are happening less frequently, my hunch is that that's contributing to that reduction,” Eisenberg said.

Educating youth on cannabis use

Young people are also using alcohol and tobacco less than before. According to the CDC, high school students who reported drinking alcohol in the past 30 days fell from about 51 percent 1991 to 20.3 percent in 2025. In 2024, youth who were vaping was a third of what it was at its peak in 2019.

Heidi Glesmann, a supervisor with the Minnesota Department of Health’s substance use prevention unit, said the decline may reflect both prevention efforts and changing attitudes about substance use.

More youth are seeing the harm in substances like cannabis, which was not as previously thought of,” she said. “So that perception change is usually due to a lot of education.”

Minnesota has also launched Be Cannabis Aware, a state campaign targeting people 25 and younger and the adults in their lives. It provides information about cannabis risks, legal status and alternatives for people who may use cannabis to cope with anxiety, depression or other challenges.

“We really want to be factual and share the risks and harms and what happens when you use cannabis,” Glesmann said. “For those under 21, the primary focus is to use those facts to encourage them not to use the product.”

Frequent, early cannabis use linked to psychosis

Mental health clinicians are concerned about the link between cannabis and psychosis, especially for young people who use frequently or start early. Psychosis is a loss of touch with reality and can include hallucinations or delusions.

Lionel Wininger, chief clinical psychologist at the U of M, works with people who have experienced a first episode of psychosis, including teens and young adults. At one clinic, about a third reported cannabis use when they entered treatment.

Although youth cannabis use is declining overall, Wininger says anecdotally he’s seeing “either the same level of cannabis use or an increase in reported use” among young patients.

“We know that there's actually a kind of special connection between cannabis and psychosis,” he said. “And with that use, and especially increased use and increased high potency use, we're seeing mental health challenges like psychosis as a result of that use.”

Wininger says researchers are still studying whether cannabis can bring out an underlying vulnerability to psychosis. He’s particularly concerned about cannabis-induced psychosis and increasingly potent products.

For patients who are already using cannabis, Wininger takes a harm-reduction approach rather than pushing for abstinence. He says the first step is trying to understand why the person is using cannabis, for example to treat depression, and offering other solutions for that core issue.

“We don't want to scare people away from all of the treatment services we offer: medication management, family support, social support,” he said. “We don't want to scare them away from those services by just taking an abstinence-only approach.”

The decline isn't happening equally

But the decrease in cannabis use hasn’t erased longstanding disparities for Minnesota youth.

American Indian and Alaska Native students, LGBTQ+ students and students experiencing poverty were about three times as likely to report recent cannabis use as their respective comparison groups.

“In a state like Minnesota, where there's a lot of white young people, sometimes disparities get hidden,” Eisenberg said. “What looks like a good trend for the state can really be masking a really different story for other groups of people.”

Some racial and ethnic disparities did narrow, including among Black and Latino youth. But researchers did not see the same reduction in disparities based on sexual orientation, gender identity or poverty.

Eisenberg said bullying may help explain some of those disparities. When researchers accounted for students’ experiences with bullying, the differences in cannabis use became substantially smaller.

“These things are really hurtful, and we know that sometimes kids self-medicate to get through their days,” she said. “So if we can make some change about the bullying, specifically the homophobic, transphobic and racist bullying, we think that will really help address some of these disparities.”

In a Winona State University biology lab, freshman Chayse Pulvermacher was isolating the DNA of an apple and then pipetting it into a special gel to see if she could identify it. The process is full of skills she hopes will help her land a job after college.

“I would love to work in a hospital, but bedside is my worst nightmare,” she said. “[I’d] much rather work in a lab setting, testing things — basically like this,” she said gesturing to the lab equipment around her.

Pulvermacher may have great luck finding a job in nearby Rochester in a few years, where a slew of new bioscience companies are cropping up around Mayo Clinic.

Nurturing and growing these startups is a big goal of Destination Medical Center, Rochester’s 20-year, $5.6 billion endeavor to remake the city and diversify the employer base beyond Mayo Clinic.

But some of those bio-science startups are struggling to find the right employees with the right skills.

In recent years, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development convened a working group of the region's public and private sector institutions to come up with solutions.

Starting early

Employers in the DEED working group often say they are looking for people with specific lab skills, said Becky Zoubek, who leads the working group for DEED.

“Cell culture, [laboratory] quality control and regulatory expertise are pretty high on that list,” she said.

Schools like Winona State University have adjusted their curriculum in recent years to meet employer demand.

“[Students] are learning techniques that are being used diagnostically, research-wise,” said WSU Biology Department Chair Amy Runck. “And then all those other skills along the way too, whether it's pipetting, centrifuges, running gels, quantifying DNA and RNA, all those supportive techniques they're learning that make them well qualified to work in a lab.”

The working group is also exploring short-term courses that could be taught locally and quickly to expose new hires to a specific skill.

Meanwhile, Destination Medical Center officials are working to rebrand the city as one that’s not only home to Mayo Clinic, but one where innovation can thrive. They tout a soon-to-open shared lab space downtown called One Discovery Square as a big step forward: Once open, it will allow startups born inside Mayo to grow locally without having to build huge, expensive laboratories.

Gov. Tim Walz joined local government, business and health care industry leaders at an event at One Discovery Square Wednesday to praise the DMC’s progress in becoming what Mayo Clinic President and CEO Dr. Gianrico Farrugia called “a world class health care innovation hub and a nexus for economic development in the state and the country.”

Because of the “robust biomedical innovation ecosystem” that has been developed, “world class companies and organizations are now constantly looking to Rochester as the place to come pursue these innovation ideas,” Farrugia said.

It’s an advantage the region is trying to capitalize on.

“Rochester really has a combination of assets that's really difficult to replicate, especially with the Mayo Clinic, and that's obviously an extraordinary anchor,” DEED’s Zoubek told MPR News. “Companies can be located in close proximity to the Mayo researchers and clinicians and other life science companies and a growing innovation infrastructure.”

But these biomedical and med-tech startups are not just having difficulty finding people with bioscience degrees and experience working in laboratories; that’s just one piece of Rochester’s employment puzzle. Employers also need workers with business, legal, technology and bookkeeping skills and experience, too.

Niche skills

Cytotheryx is a Mayo Clinic spin-off that focuses on growing human liver cells called hepatocytes in pigs, so they can be used in research and in liver disease treatment.

Finding workers with animal husbandry experience has been essential to the company’s success so far, said Anna Argo, who is the company’s interim CEO. It’s a niche expertise, but one easier to come by in the rolling farmland of the Upper Midwest compared to the east and west coasts, where most biotech science and commercialization is happening.

"It's the workforce that we have here — the ability to draw from people who have lived and grown up around animals, and who studied animal science,” she said.

But Argo said filling other jobs is more difficult. For example, she said it took a year to fill a finance and operations job. Argo said it can be difficult to draw certain types of candidates to Rochester because of Mayo’s dominance.

“When you recruit people, especially from out of state, if they were to want to take a career step someplace else, there's Mayo, of course. There are smatterings of biotech companies here, but not a lot,” she said. “And so, you're asking them to relocate for potentially a very small pool of next opportunities."

Another Mayo spin-off is Vyriad, which is developing new cancer therapies. After developing the concept within Mayo’s walls, Vyriad was created in 2015 — and staying in the community was an obvious choice, said Vyriad president Luke Russell.

Vyriad has drawn on expertise within Mayo Clinic and recruited employees from the hospital, too. It grew quickly into unused office space once home to IBM.

But Russell said it's hard to find executives with drug development experience in Rochester, partly because the city doesn’t have a major academic anchor.

"In large cities like in Boston or in San Francisco where the ecosystem for biotech exists in just a much stronger way, it's also much easier to find the biotech executives that you need to run these types of companies."

Russell said diversifying Rochester's workforce will take time, because the city's reputation needs to change, too. In the meantime, the company is developing talent from within, giving younger hires opportunities to grow professionally, with the hope that they’ll put down roots and stay for the long haul.

"It’s a huge branding operation. Just getting the name out there, talking about what we're doing, and talking more about the number of opportunities that exist here,” Russell said. “I think it’s really helpful in making people aware that this really is an opportunity, and it's worth moving for."

When someone stops drinking alcohol or using drugs, it’s only the beginning.

For many people, recovery is a long journey — one that can mean rebuilding relationships, changing everyday habits and finding a new community and sense of purpose.

MPR News host Angela Davis talks during National Recovery Month with two guests who rebuilt their lives after alcohol or drug use brought everything crashing down — in very public ways.

Guests:

• Beth McDonough is a sober advocate, author and former Twin Cities TV crime reporter. She writes in her first memoir “Standby” about losing her job, home and sense of identity in 2008 following two arrests for drunken driving. Her new memoir, “Still Standing,” describes her recovery from alcoholism and how she rebuilt her life after her public downfall. She lives and writes in southern Utah.

• John Solomon recently stepped into the new role of executive director of lifelong recovery at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, where he also earned his master’s degree in counseling and completed treatment for bi-polar disorder and alcohol and methamphetamine use. He previously worked as a therapist in Alaska and as CEO of the Alaska Behavioral Health Association. He is a former singer and songwriter with the rock band Communist Daughter.

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

Lisa Demuth was shopping for some final Christmas gifts for her daughters in 2009 when she got a call that changed her life. As she prepared for a Senate vote in 2021, Amy Klobuchar fielded a similar call.

Both women said they were stunned by the news of a breast cancer diagnosis.

“At that moment, a vote was called in the Senate. I had time to call my husband, and then I went onto the Senate floor, where they were just calling the names,” Klobuchar said, her voice trailing into the droning rollcall of her colleagues during votes. “It felt like, in my head, my whole life had changed, but nothing around me had changed.”

Demuth said she had to put down the items she was holding in the department store to process what the doctor was telling her. Then she asked what would come next.

“What do I need to know right now to make the best decision for me?” she remembers asking. “I didn’t want all the information because it was really overwhelming. But what do I need to know right now in this moment?”

Barring an unforeseen twist, Minnesota will have its first female governor next year. That woman — whether it’s Klobuchar, the Democratic nominee, or Demuth, the Republican nominee — will be a breast cancer survivor. In separate interviews this month, they spoke with MPR News about confronting the diagnosis. Both said the experience fighting the disease would inform their healthcare policy platforms.

Britta Babel, senior grassroots manager with American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Minnesota, said it’s significant that a breast cancer survivor will soon hold the state’s highest office.

“I think they both really do recognize the lived experience that so many cancer patients in Minnesota deal with on a daily basis,” Babel said. “We’re excited to work with whoever it may be to just make sure that we’re tackling cancer and making it a policy priority.”

Difficult treatment choices

Within days of getting her diagnosis, Demuth got another bit of news: That her daughter was having a baby, Demuth’s first grandchild.

“I remember thinking, ‘Am I going to be alive to even meet this grandchild?’ And that mattered very much, but I never said it to anyone,” Demuth said.

After extensive consultation with her medical team, Demuth decided surgery was her best option. Doctors were able to remove the cancer just weeks after her diagnosis.

“I couldn’t get it off my body fast enough. Like I just needed it to be done,” Demuth said. “I chose a very extreme surgery so that there was no chance of recurrence, and that mattered to me.”

Klobuchar said she underwent surgery as well, in her case a lumpectomy followed by radiation treatment. She said it was a unique experience, not just due to the procedures.

“As I’m waiting there with kind of a drawn target on my breast, someone came up to me because they knew who I was, and spent about 15 minutes talking about Burma,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar said after her sedation wore off, her first question to her husband was about how the procedure went. “Successful,” he told her. She then asked him for her phone so she could have her office look into the concern about Burma.

The senator shared her diagnosis and experience publicly at the time. She said it was important to be forthright with Minnesotans.

“I think that’s part of your job as a leader,” Klobuchar said, citing the model of former first lady Betty Ford and her public fight with addiction and the normalization of treatment that her airing her problems helped drive. “She did a lot more for it than I could ever dream.”

Klobuchar said sharing the experience mattered and was, in an unexpected way, rewarding. She heard from several people who’d put off mammograms or check-ups but were encouraged to go in after hearing about her experience.

‘A sisterhood’

Demuth was a school board member when she was diagnosed. Her health struggle was kept to a tighter circle. Years later, she was among those who wrote to Klobuchar to pass along well wishes.

“I reached out after that and just sent a note, probably electronically,” Demuth said. “I remember the thought of at least when I was diagnosed, it was private, unless I chose to make it, you know, to tell anyone about it, and how different that is.”

Asked about the contact, Klobuchar said the note meant something to her.

“I appreciated that. And she was very kind about it, and I am again really, really happy that she is doing well as well,” Klobuchar said. “And it's kind of a sisterhood, right? No matter what differences you might have, that is a sisterhood.”

Both candidates said their experiences with cancer have reshaped who they are, physically and mentally.

“I have scars, but they’re just part of who I am. But I don’t think about it every day,” said Demuth, currently Minnesota’s House speaker. “I think more about the things, the opportunities that I have, the family that I have, the life that I’ve been gifted.”

Klobuchar said it gave her a sense of gratitude, too.

“It makes you appreciate the incredible doctors and nurses that I had,” she said. “Or just my husband getting up at four in the morning to take me to radiation, and it gives you a whole appreciation of that.”

As important to Klobuchar, she said, is “to keep looking for a cure.”

Healthcare access

Both candidates said their experiences with cancer will inform how they would govern.

Demuth has yet to unveil a health policy platform, but she said one that’s in the works will prioritize healthcare access, especially in rural parts of Minnesota, along with a pipeline for training medical professionals.

“Having the opportunity that I’ve had to experience breast cancer and need medical care, I want to make sure that's available for all Minnesotans,” Demuth said. “Our health plan is going to look at the issues of access and affordability.”

Klobuchar points to bills she’s advanced in Washington to guarantee coverage for mammograms, fund early cancer detection programs and boost research aid for cancer treatments. She said similar programs are needed on the state level. She also wants medical training pipelines and to offset the cost of insurance by replacing tax credits that Congress let expire last year.

“When you look at getting coverage for treatment and getting coverage for mammograms and all of that, I understand how important it is,” Klobuchar said.

Regardless of the race outcome, the next governor will bring a new perspective to the governor’s office, said Christina Ewig, the director of the Center on Women, Gender and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota.

“There’s pretty thorough research on women politicians and the fact that they do bring different issues to legislative agendas,” Ewig said, citing proposals addressing poverty, care for the elderly, healthcare, children and family issues among them.

“All politicians bring their personal experiences with them, and those do influence their actions while in office. But I would temper that by saying that other things also matter. Party affiliation matters a lot,” she continued. “Personal experience is brought to the table, but it's tempered by these other political constraints.”

As for Demuth and Klobuchar, being a survivor means remaining vigilant about their own health. Both routinely go in for aftercare check-ins.

Klobuchar, 66, said her most recent follow-up visit was over the summer.

“You still have that feeling of waiting and waiting and seeing if you have it again,” Klobuchar said.

Demuth, 59, said she feels the anxiety, too.

“The mental battle can be really hard. Just that worry you feel, especially as you age, you feel one little thing, and it can make you think, ‘Oh no, is that something?’” Demuth said. “Those thoughts don’t come as often as they did in that first year or two years for me. Eventually, it’s fine. I’m just getting older.”

They are both cancer-free.

For the past year, a mobile medical unit has been delivering healthcare and substance use treatment directly to Minneapolis residents in underserved communities, reaching people who often face some of the greatest barriers to care.

The Minneapolis Mobile Medical Unit, funded by over $1 million in opioid settlement dollars, operates from a specially equipped RV that contains two exam rooms and is staffed by three nurses.

Four days a week, the medical team provides basic health screenings and wound care to patients without dependable access to traditional healthcare and also connects them with treatment and recovery resources.

“We can check cholesterol, blood pressure, and do diabetes screenings, and give people a better idea about their health,” said Jasmine Bloomdahl, a registered nurse with the Minneapolis Health Department who staffs the MMU. “But the focus of the project is opioid use and trying to help folks that are interested in treatment or interested in reducing use get access to the resources that they need to do so.”

The MMU was established in response to the opioid crisis and the public health initiative prioritizes outreach to communities with high levels of drug use, including individuals experiencing homelessness and those who are uninsured or underinsured.

Bloomdahl said the team consistently returns to set locations around the city so that people know where to find them for follow-up services, in case they lack access to a phone, computer, or reliable internet.

For the nurses, patient encounters can be brief, sometimes lasting just 15 minutes, yet the health needs they encounter can be complex.

Many patients arrive with serious health issues, Bloomdahl said. Some have also experienced discrimination in traditional healthcare settings, including being labeled “drug seekers,” which can make them reluctant to seek care.

The MMU offers a less intimidating environment, she added, where individuals can receive care without some of the barriers and stigma they may encounter elsewhere. Even during short visits, nurses work to connect patients with services and address health problems that unstable housing and other hardships can exacerbate.

In its first year of operation, MMU staff engaged with over 4,000 community members and made more than 600 referrals for services, including primary care, mental health and substance use treatment, housing and social services, and medications for opioid use disorder.

They also distributed 1,484 doses of naloxone, an overdose-reversal medication commonly known by the brand name Narcan, along with 2,589 hygiene supplies.

“Health care works best when it is accessible, trusted and responsive to the realities of people’s lives,” Heidi Ritchie, Minneapolis Interim Commissioner of Health, said in a statement.

The work of the MMU takes place as Minnesota continues to actively address the opioid epidemic. The state recorded a 26 percent decrease in opioid-related deaths from 2023 to 2024. But provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the number of deaths from opioids remained steady in Minnesota in 2025, even as they continued to decline nationally.

The American Medical Association’s 2025 report on the nation’s overdose epidemic noted that while opioid-related overdose deaths declined nationally in 2024, the increasing prevalence of fentanyl mixed with other substances and the unpredictability of the illicit drug supply continue to pose significant risks.

In Minneapolis, the city’s opioid response team and health department are working to expand access to evidence-based treatment and medications for opioid use disorder while strengthening connections among street outreach teams, community clinics, and other healthcare partners that serve patients regardless of their ability to pay.

One focus is on increasing accessibility to medications for opioid use disorder, including injectable buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder and chronic pain by reducing cravings, withdrawal symptoms, and the effects of other opioids, such as fentanyl.

Bloomdahl said that for some patients, injectable buprenorphine can be a critical tool to aid recovery. “Our project is really focused on building up a low-barrier landscape across the city, so that folks can access injectable buprenorphine,” she said.

Medication can ease treatment for some individuals by alleviating the physical discomfort associated with withdrawal and helping to prevent relapse, according to Bloomdahl. She said this is especially beneficial for those returning to environments where opioids are prevalent and hard to avoid.

But access to the medication remains a challenge. Bloomdahl said injectable buprenorphine is expensive, and some pharmacies and clinics do not carry it because of the price and the requirements associated with administering it.

For Bloomdahl, the impact of the MMU is often measured in smaller moments, such as when a patient returns and shares that a referral led to treatment, housing, or another form of support.

“We do have people come back and swing by the unit and say, ‘Hey, that thing you set me up with worked out great, and now I'm on a path, and I'm going here, and I'm excited about it,’” Bloomdahl said. “And so those moments are really, really great.”

Occasionally, she said, the good moments arise from simply assisting a patient navigate a complicated healthcare system.

“Sometimes we are able to do enough care coordination that we check all the boxes of the patient's goals, and they seem to leave feeling a lot better,” Bloomdahl said.

On the first day of school at Hoover Elementary in Coon Rapids, Gov. Tim Walz and Education Commissioner Willie Jett donned aprons and plastic gloves and stood in the cafeteria before a line of elementary students.

“Do you want orange chicken?” Walz asked a student before spooning a serving of lunch onto his plate.

The governor, a former teacher, has said the state’s universal school meals program, which he signed into law in 2023, is one of the proudest accomplishments of his eight-year tenure.

“I think this, coupled with the education funding and the child tax credit — probably as a package — are the things that I would rather be remembered [for],” Walz told journalists at Hoover.

Schools across the state started offering free breakfasts and lunches to all students in the fall of 2023. Now, three years later, a trio of studies from the University of Minnesota and nonprofit advocacy organization The Food Group offers more data on how the program is having an impact.

“It’s, without question, in my opinion, really, really helpful for families and students and parents alike expressing relief about not having the cost of meals being a factor,” said Leah Gardner, policy director at The Food Group.

“But that doesn’t mean the program’s perfect,” Gardner added.

More students are eating

The number of students eating school lunch went up 15 percent the first year of the universal school meals program. The number of kids eating breakfast at school went up 40 percent.

That’s according to the Minnesota Department of Education, which has also been tracking the cost of the program. The state has steadily increased its spending on school meals — from $277 million in 2024 to an estimated $306 million in 2026.

“Early on, we saw that the cost was a little more than it really projected,” Walz told journalists earlier this month.

“I think what it showed was there … was a lot of folks that were just barely above that line where they could get it, and they just weren’t eating because of that,” Walz said.

Gardner’s study, which included survey results from hundreds of Minnesota students, found evidence that supported the governor’s hunch.

Before free school meals, 34 percent of students who didn’t qualify for free or reduced-price lunch had to skip meals. The numbers were even higher for Black and Indigenous students and other students of color, 70 percent of whom skipped meals before they were offered at no cost.

“We talked to … students who were dealing with stress, anxiety about when they would go through the line if there was going to be money in their account or not,” Gardner said.

“We had a young person share a story about just pretending not to be hungry because he knew his mom couldn’t pay, and if that bill was added to her plate, she would not be eating,” Gardner added. “Our young people were not nearly as oblivious about the cost of meals as I think some people would like to think.”

And it’s not just that students are no longer going hungry. Introducing universal school meals has also reduced stigma in school cafeterias.

“Students are talking about it. They do notice it, and they feel much better all being together and eating together,” Gardner said. “They also talked about having more energy and being able to concentrate better because of being able to get enough [food].”

A ‘huge relief’ for families

Free school meals have also helped families’ household budgets. The state education department estimates the program has saved families a total of $1,000 per year per student.

Gardner’s survey found 51 percent of families are worrying less about household budgets thanks to the program. And 60 percent of families are having easier mornings getting their students to school on time because they don’t have to pack lunches and make breakfasts at home.

“We’re able to make this a reality right at the time that we’ve seen the cost of food grow substantially,” Gardner said. “It’s a huge relief financially, mentally and, also, parents attributed that their kids were showing up to school on time as a result and they felt [they were] doing better in school.”

Bailey Jordan, who lives in Minneapolis, has a fourth grade student. She said school breakfast has taken a significant amount of stress out of her hectic mornings. It’s also helped her daughter in other ways.

“She now became a breakfast eater. She wasn’t before,” Jordan said. “It’s very important, not only to fuel her body for the day, but so she can get into that routine. And then her friends join her, too. So not only is she getting that meal, but she’s eating with her friends and starting the day out that way.”

School staff say the program and a higher volume of kids in their cafeterias has been good for their budgets. That financial stability is making it easier to get healthier, higher-quality food into the cafeteria.

“Being able to invest more in locally sourced foods is, of course then also beneficial for the economy and the tastiness of the meals,” Gardner said.

In the Moorhead Public School District, nutrition services director Ashley Schneider said the program has helped her department get out of financial crisis and invest in more livable staff wages and equipment, like knives and food processors that help her kitchen teams make more food from scratch.

They’ve had some hits and also some misses.

“Some things are a huge flop,” Schneider said. “We tried meatloaf and they were just like, ‘What is this?’”

But among their successes are sambusas and a new crop of students who love brussels sprouts.

“Our kids are obsessed with brussels sprouts,” Schneider said. “A parent went to a local Facebook group and said that she was just super impressed, because when her student came home from school and she asked what they wanted for dinner that week, the student replied and said they wanted brussels sprouts like they get at school.”

Schneider credits the universal meals program with giving her department the financial stability it’s needed to keep expanding its offerings and investing more in scratch cooking.

“With that guaranteed kind of payment from every meal that we provide, we are able to collect on that. That helps us to then operate and actually have money to be able to do things,” Schneider said. “We are able to now invest back into our kitchens.”

But Minnesota’s universal school meals program has also introduced new challenges. The cost of the program is rising for the state. And an increase in school meal programs has made for new logistical challenges.

“When all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Bam! Now we have many more students eating’ … well, lines got long,” Gardner said. “That is something that’s come up as a barrier.”

Longer lines in cafeterias mean students have less time to eat — feedback that came through loud and clear when researchers asked students about their experience with school meals.

Gardner also believes her research has shown schools can do better about offering kids food they want to eat.

“It’s always a joy to talk to our young people because there’s just, like, brutal honesty,” Gardner said. “Our youth have a lot to say about what food they want.”

In the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district, nutrition services coordinator Spencer Fischer said his department tries to use that brutal honesty to its advantage. They’ve set up what they call a “kitchen cabinet,” which is a panel of students that meets regularly to sample and advise on new menu items. Their work has resulted in some popular new cafeteria offerings like locally sourced apples, fresh-baked breakfast croissants, pumpkin-spice muffins, scrambled egg bowls, cheese curds, a charcuterie of fresh vegetables and ramen with spiced meat and bok choy.

“That’s the other thing with caretaking for students is giving students options,” Fischer said. “When students have options to choose from, they’re going to choose what they’re going to eat rather than being handed something that they don’t want.”

Fischer and Gardner believe Minnesota’s universal meals program will continue to give school lunch workers the resources and time they need to keep making cafeteria food healthier and more delicious as time goes on.

“With the increase in meal participation, it gives us opportunities to think differently about what school lunch is and how we can engage students even more,” Fischer said.

“The change that the staff on the front line has experienced is a renewed sense of pride and ownership of what they’re producing,” Fischer added, “The work we do really allows other people to do the important work that they need to do.”

Correction (Sept. 22, 2026): An earlier version of this story misspelled Spencer Fischer’s name. The story has been updated.

State health officials say a bat found in downtown Minneapolis last week tested positive for rabies — and they’re trying to find anyone who may have been in contact with it.

The bat was found last on Sept. 15, on the sidewalk along Hennepin Avenue between Washington Avenue and Third Street, not far from the Minneapolis Central Library.

The Minnesota Department of Health said at least one person — a woman with a dog — was seen crouching by the bat and putting it into a bag.

Officials had posted notices over the weekend seeking information about that woman, and asking her to contact authorities. In an update Monday afternoon, the Minnesota Department of Health said the woman had contacted the agency.

Anyone else who may have touched the bat is advised to talk with a health-care provider, or contact the Minnesota Department of Health at (651) 201-5414.

Health officials said bites from a bat can be small and painless, and may not leave a mark.

Officials said anyone who saw the bat but did not have any contact with it, is not at risk of rabies.

It’s not the first time that a rabid bat has been found in downtown Minneapolis. There was a similar case in 2019.

There was also a rabid bat found near Como Lake in St. Paul in 2018.

And in 2024, a person who came into contact with a rabid bat in western Minnesota died from the disease.

In an unrelated case last week, officials said a cow in Brown County tested positive for rabies. Public health officials recommended that nine people who came into contact with the animal undergo rabies post-exposure treatment as a preventative measure.

Public health officials this week confirmed the first case of measles in Minnesota in several months amid a resurgence of the preventable disease across the country.

The Minnesota Department of Health said that an unvaccinated adult in Fillmore County, about 45 minutes southeast of Rochester, is ill with the virus. It’s the 18th case in the state so far this year, and the first since April.

“Anytime that we have a measles case identified, we get concerned about transmission to others because MMR [measles, mumps and rubella] vaccination rates have been dropping since COVID,” said Jayne Griffith, a senior epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health. “It's always a concern when a measles case is identified because the virus will try to seek out unprotected people to infect.”

Griffith said that the Fillmore County case appears to be unrelated to an outbreak in nearby southwest Wisconsin, as the Fillmore resident appears to have contracted the virus while traveling to a number of states across the U.S. But health officials say the Wisconsin outbreak demonstrates how quickly measles can spread from one person to dozens more, especially amongst unvaccinated people.

In the past month, the number of people infected in Wisconsin has skyrocketed from 15 to 166 measles cases.

“It's thought to be the most contagious virus,” Griffith said. “It has the ability to linger in the air for up to about two hours. And the other difficult thing with measles is that it has a long infectivity period, and people are infectious [for] four days before the rash onset.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 96 percent of the measles cases reported across the country so far this year occurred in people who were unvaccinated or had only had one of the vaccine’s two doses, and nearly 20 percent of the cases were in children under the age of five years old.

Measles cases seem to be spiking across the country in recent years, as the anti-vaccine movement has grown. The CDC has reported 3,471 confirmed cases so far this year, already surpassing last year’s total count of 2,289. It’s the highest number of reported cases of measles in the U.S. since 1991.

In Pennsylvania, at least four people have died from measles in recent weeks, including two unvaccinated adults and two infants who were too young to receive the MMR vaccine.

To ensure people are protected through community immunity, also known as herd immunity, more than 95 percent of people must be vaccinated. According to CDC data, only 87 percent of Minnesota kindergartners had been vaccinated in the 2024-2025 school year.

Griffith stressed the importance of getting the MMR vaccine, explaining that it’s been in use for over 50 years and is extremely safe and effective.

“The best protection is to be vaccinated,” Griffith said. “And that vaccine not only protects [those] who received it, but also other vulnerable people in the community, like young infants or pregnant women who did not get vaccinated before pregnancy, or cancer patients. The more people that are vaccinated, the less likely we are to have outbreaks. It's all really interconnected.”

Griffith and other health providers are combating an increase in misinformation that has been rapidly spreading across the country, partly fueled by false claims from top federal government officials. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, for example, has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that childhood vaccines cause autism. Last year, he personally ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to change its longstanding position that vaccines do not cause autism on the agency’s website.

But the tide could be turning within the federal government amid growing nationwide outbreaks and an increasing number of deaths caused by the disease.

Trump's nominee for Surgeon General, Dr. Nicole Saphier, acknowledged in her Senate confirmation hearing this week that the MMR vaccine is "the best tool we have to combat these infections, to save the most lives and to also create population herd immunity." She also said there's no evidence vaccines cause autism.

The symptoms of measles can include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a rash three to five days after other symptoms begin. The illness can be especially dangerous for babies and young children. Serious cases can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, brain swelling and even death.

“There's just measles popping up in every state and there have been some recent deaths as well, and it's just really sad that this is something that can be prevented,” Griffith said.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Ain Dah Yung Center’s American Indian Metro Suicide Prevention Coalition recognized Thursday as Indigenous Youth Suicide Prevention Day with proclamations from the state and city of St. Paul.

The coalition brings together Indigenous community members, organizations, service providers and partners to strengthen suicide prevention across the Twin Cities metro area.

Coalition leader and Ain Dah Yung Center’s suicide prevention coordinator Bryce Premo says the day aims to strengthen community and its role in the lives of Indigenous youth. He says the proclamations “belong to everyone.”

“You don't have to be a therapist or a suicide prevention professional to be a part of prevention. You can be a relative who checks in, a coach who notices somebody is struggling,” Premo said. “Or an elder who shares knowledge with the youth, or an organization that creates space where young people know they belong.”

According to the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey, Indigenous youth in Minnesota experience suicidal ideation at rates nearly twice that of their peers. The demographic has the highest rate of suicide when compared to their peer groups.

School psychologist Tascha Just is a part of the coalition. She says prevention begins with empowering youth identity and sense of belonging through various means, such as cultural resources.

“Thinking about frameworks like the Ojibwe grandfather teachings and thinking about how we can implement different cultural teachings into everyday life,” Just said.

The American Indian Metro Suicide Prevention Coalition focuses on three protective factors: positive identity, empowerment and positive community relationships.

The group represents these factors through an analogy of the three sisters, a trio of main agricultural crops across many Indigenous communities in the United States. The trio consists of corn, beans and squash.

“The collaboration that we see within nature, we can imitate in human activities,” Just said.

Premo says each protective factor is represented by a crop. Positive identity is represented through corn, which grows strong and tall. Empowerment is squash, which grows on the ground and protects the other crops through its foliage. Positive community relationships are represented by beans, which grow together in a pod. When planted together, the trio contributes to each other’s growth.

“That’s the kind of community we're trying to strengthen,” Premo said. “When we're working with those three protective factors—positive identity, empowerment, or positive community relationships—you're working in prevention already.”

Premo says one way the coalition practices community involvement in youth lives is through its Native Youth Resources guide. The second edition features artwork from Ain Dah Yung Center residents. The center serves Indigenous youth, and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Their coalition’s logo was also designed by youth.

“It's that empowering moment when youth feel like — You know, what I created matters,” Premo said. “I feel like that’s a powerful event for everyone involved.”

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. Call or text 988 to get connected with trained counselors. The 988 suicide and crisis lifeline is available 24/7.

Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.