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.
Paying for prescription drugs
Even if you don’t need prescription drugs you’re paying for them in your premiums each month. And those drugs are getting more and more expensive. Why and what can we do about it? You’ll find a lot more information here.
Diabetes medication unaffordable for many today
The price of insulin — a lifesaving drug — has increased more 240 percent over the past decade. That means prices have jumped from $90 to often more than $300 a vial. Listen to what U of M pharmacy school professor Angie Carlson, Ph.D., has to say about insulin. Carlson sat down with Council staff to talk about stories like this one about a man from Minneapolis who died because he needed insulin, and share her 40 years of experience in the industry. Carlson’s question is how long should people have to pay for improvements that have been available for 30 years. Minnesota’s Attorney General is suing drug companies for pricing insulin out of reach for many patients.
What's happened with insulin?
Council Work
Council names industry veteran Patsy Riley as interim leader; search begins for new CEO
St. Paul, Minn.—Minnesota Council of Health Plans announced today that Patsy Riley will serve as the organization’s interim president and chief executive officer. Riley steps in for Jim Schowalter, who is leaving the Council at the end of the month after four years as...
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2019
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Star Tribune Commentary
Minnesota’s reinsurance program should be renewed
It lowers premiums for people who buy their own insurance and requires no new money.
Interesting National Stories
Health care expenses are more than just the parts you see
In an Axios column, Drew Altman from the Kaiser Family Foundation looks at total family spending for health including taxes and health benefits, and why people need to understand it to assess proposals like Medicare-for-All. Read the understanding health care spending column.
Kaiser has created a calculator to help families learn what they pay, both directly and indirectly for health care. Take a look.
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
1 in 3 Young Adults Suffers From Loneliness in U.S.
consumer.healthday.com
For young adults, drugs and distracted driving are well-recognized health threats. Far less attention is paid to loneliness.
