Lucas Nesse

Lucas Nesse

President and CEO

Lucas Nesse joined the Minnesota Council of Health Plans as its President and CEO in 2019. In this role, Nesse works with the state’s non-profit health plans to advance high quality and affordable health care for Minnesotans.

Prior to assuming his role at the Council, Lucas was the director of health policy for the Minnesota Business Partnership, a large employer membership organization. Nesse previously served in staff leadership roles for the Minnesota State Senate.

Nesse is an ex-officio Board member of Minnesota Community Measurement, a collaboration-based organization that collects, analyzes, and shares actionable data on health care quality and cost. He also serves in an advisory role for the Board of TPT, a PBS affiliate that produces and broadcasts public media programming in the Twin Cities and its surrounding areas.

Nesse earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gustavus Adolphus College and his Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law.

Council news

2022

  • Council releases 2021 industry financial results

    Throughout the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota’s nonprofit health plans continued to put the health and financial stability of their enrollees first. COVID-19 related costs for the fully insured and government program markets exceeded $649 million in 2021, including $237 million in testing and vaccination costs, and $66 million in voluntary cost-sharing waivers.

    read more

2021

  • Minnesota health plans once again extend cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 treatment

    The Minnesota Council of Health Plans announced that Minnesota-based nonprofit health plans are voluntarily extending cost-sharing waivers for in-patient COVID-19 treatment through September 30, 2021.

    read more

  • Statement on Derek Chauvin verdict

    The murder of George Floyd is a tragedy that has inflicted immense grief on our community. Tuesday marked a small step toward healing, as a verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial was reached and found the former police officer guilty on all three counts.

    read more

  • Council releases 2020 industry financial results

    In a year marked by the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota’s seven nonprofit health plans paid more than $293 million to their enrollees for insurance premium relief and cost-sharing waivers related to COVID-19 testing and inpatient treatment.

    read more

  • Statement on MNsure special enrollment period

    MNsure’s announcement today that it is offering a special enrollment period is a win for uninsured Minnesotans who can now select from products that have some of the lowest premiums in the nation thanks to the state’s reinsurance program. MNsure enrolled more than 9,400 uninsured Minnesotans in private coverage during the COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period in March and April of 2020, and we once again encourage Minnesotans to visit MNsure.org to enroll.

    read more

2021

  • StarTribune

    Keep moving forward on expanded telehealth in Minnesota

    As lockdowns loomed, state and federal regulators eased restrictions on "telehealth." That led to more virtual visits in Minnesota and elsewhere, with doctors and patients communicating via video or a phone call in lieu of a clinic appointment. A year later, there's a timely debate at the Minnesota Capitol over whether to maintain telehealth expansion measures.

    read more

  • Minnesota Physician

    Insuring the highest health of Minnesotans

    The Council is a resource for consumers in a variety of ways, including helping Minnesotans gain entry into the health care system, finding the best providers for their specific situation, and ensuring coordinating of care overall. Efforts can also include support for food security, housing, education, and transportation to appointments.

    read more

  • Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal

    How talking about your nonprofit’s mission can help the people you serve

    At a time when COVID-19 is hitting communities especially hard, nonprofits — now more than ever — are playing a critical role in ensuring health and well-being. Whether you are in health care, human services, education, the arts or another sector, it’s important to talk about your nonprofit mission and what you are doing to help others.

    read more

  • StarTribune

    COVID-19 pandemic fuels telehealth expansion

    It may be months yet before the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, but already it's creating lasting changes in health care, with more patients using computers, tablets and phones to talk with doctors, nurses and therapists.

    read more

  • StarTribune

    Why we need vaccination equity

    As eligibility for and access to the COVID-19 vaccine expand to more Minnesotans, racial disparities in vaccination rates are increasing. So are myths that strategies to vaccinate more equitably aren’t needed. This is of immense concern due to the disproportionate impact COVID-19 continues to have on Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian populations.

    read more

Resources

All Care is Local
You do stories every week about decisions that shape the care Minnesotans get. The big policy discussions may be happening in Washington, D.C., and St. Paul, the reality is all care is local. We’re working to make the far away conversations understandable at home, county by county.

All Care Is Local

Current Issues

See our thoughts on current issues.

Essentials of Health Policy Sourcebook
Solid background information. The key to using this information in reporting is our first link, All Care is Local. How health policies are implemented vary across the country, and even within states. National sources hold a wealth of information, but often, Minnesota rules, laws and unique approach to health policy mean things are a bit different here.

Essentials of Health Policy Sourcebook

Association of Health Care Journalists
AHCJ‘s focus is the “quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing.” More than 1,500 members help each other cover the beat.
Health Care Costs: A Reporter's Toolkit
An oldie but a goodie, at least when it comes to understanding the basics: Premiums are expensive because care is expensive.

Health Care Costs: A Reporter’s Toolkit

Health News Review
You’ll find tips and tools for analyzing health care claims and a critical review of stories in the media. (Not claims as in medical bills/insurance claims. You’ll get help analyzing what’s said in the news releases in your inbox.)

Health News Review