Getting care
The Minnesota Council of Health Plans has worked for more than 30 years to improve care for everyone. We work with local health insurance companies that serve communities, not Wall Street shareholders, to make sure Minnesotans get the care they need, today and in the future.
Medicare Is Changing
Many Minnesota seniors have new Medicare options because rules changed to make Medicare in our state more like the rest of the country. Your current insurer is still here serving Minnesotans—not shareholders on Wall Street. There are four nonprofit companies that offer Medicare to Minnesotans: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners, Medica and UCare.
We know people are worried. Here’s some advice:
- The best place to start is by calling your current insurance company to find out what options it has for you. You can find the number on the back of your insurance card.
- Minnesota insurers and the federal government know that this change is confusing, so you have plenty of support and plenty of time. More details here.
Announcement
Buy your own insurance Nov. 1 to Dec. 15
From Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, Minnesotans who buy their own health insurance can sign up for policies that start Jan. 1, 2019. If you wait until after Dec. 15, the policy doesn't start until Feb. 1, 2019. This year about 155,000 Minnesotans bought their own insurance,...
read moreNews Coverage
2018
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Star Tribune
The problem today isn’t getting health care; it’s paying for it
We sorely need policy discussions that lead to practical actions, with clear-eyed recognition of the trade offs.
Interesting National Stories
Premiums are expensive because care is expensive
This Wall Street Journal story about the cost vs price of knee replacements is getting a lot of comments (527 and counting) and letters to the editor, too. Here's a PDF of the story if you don't have your WSJ subscription...
read more
Get Care
Lost your insurance card? No problem. Want to find out how much you’ll pay or compare prices for care you need? Can you get care online? Wondering how the quality of the care you get is measured?
It’s all here.
Get Insurance
Insurance helps you pay medical bills, everything from the entire bill for preventive care that helps keep you well to helping pay for prescriptions and care when you need it. Insurance companies also do a lot of work behind the scenes to help you be well and ensure you get good care.
Understand Insurance
We all need care—not only medical care when we’re sick or injured—but also preventive care to keep us well. Health insurance is how we join together to pay for care because it’s too expensive to pay for on our own.
From the Council’s Members
What Our Members Are Talking About
7 Ways to Save on Health Care | Blue Cross MN
bluecrossmn.com
To get the most value for your health care dollar, follow these money-saving tips.
Register for Medicare Workshops | Blue Cross MN
bluecrossmn.com
Join us for a free, no obligation, Medicare Workshop to learn about Original Medicare and available plans.
Thank you HealthPartners!
This is incredibly important. Glad HealthPartners is highlighting this important work/need! The medical and insurance industries have a lot of work to do to best serve trans and gender non confirming people. Please continue working to remove barriers for these communities!
Former Vikings linebacker visits kids at Sanford Children's Hospital
valleynewslive.com
Chad Greenway was in town promoting the expansion of his vodka brand to North Dakota and decided to stop by and visit some of his youngest fans at Sanford Children's Hospital.
Classmates brought back together through breast cancer - Sanford Health News
news.sanfordhealth.org
Old high school classmates go through breast cancer treatments together at Sanford Health Hospital in Worthington Minnesota.
March - Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
preferredone.com
March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month.
