Collaboration and planning helped more than 1M Minnesotans stay
connected to health coverage
The Minnesota Council of Health Plans says proactive planning, broad collaboration enabled individuals
and families to maintain access to care after the Covid-19 pandemic
ST. PAUL, Minn. (October 14, 2024) – New data shows proactive planning and multi-agency collaboration in a year-long effort to re-determine eligibility for Minnesotans enrolled in state health care programs was broadly successful. More than one million Minnesotans, or 1 in 4, had their program eligibility re-determined between April 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. Other key results include:
- 74% of Minnesotans on public programs were eligible to continue their coverage.
- Almost nine out of 10 (88%) children were eligible to continue their coverage.
Minnesotans who no longer met eligibility requirements were assisted in finding other suitable coverage.
“The Council and our nonprofit health plan members worked diligently with state and local officials to prepare for the enormous effort of redetermining the eligibility of 1 in 4 Minnesotans,” said Lucas Nesse, president and CEO of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans. “The data show proactive planning and the implementation of our strategies were successful.”
Awareness and Outreach
Nesse says the collaboration overcame an array of daunting, logistical challenges and accomplished its key objectives. Council members serving public programs include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners, Medica, UCare, and Hennepin Health.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act provided automatic re-enrollment and continuous coverage for public program enrollees across the U.S. during the three-year Covid public health emergency (PHE). As part of the PHE expiration, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) was required to unwind continuous coverage by re-establishing eligibility.
Counties, tribes or DHS completed eligibility reviews, with health plans often serving as a first point of contact with public program enrollees.
Nesse said Council members undertook a massive outreach plan to Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare members to inform them of the renewal process and what to expect. The campaign included targeted mailings, phone calls, text messages and emails to enrollees in addition to the widespread public education outreach.
| Mailings | Up to 86,800 per health plan |
| Calls | Up to 210,100 per health plan |
| Text Messages | Up to 121,000 per health plan |
| Emails | Up to 79,500 per health plan |
Source: Minnesota Council of Health Plans
The effort also included:
- Building renewal assistance into all customer service interactions.
- Funding assistance programs and providing grants to community partners and providers to reach affected individuals so they could offer personalized support.
- Focusing on health equity by enhancing outreach in areas identified as higher risk for losing coverage.
- Co-developing culturally and linguistically tailored materials in partnership with DHS. For example, a handout for community partners was created in English, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese with an accompanying QR-code that linked to a video, narrated in the same language as the handout, about the renewal process.
Key takeaways
Minnesota nonprofit health plans were instrumental in the success of the redetermination effort. This was a monumental undertaking, requiring significant resources and collaboration to ensure all partners were getting the information and tools needed to continue access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. In an unprecedented time, health plans demonstrated the flexibility to pivot and implement innovative ideas quickly as data revealed what elements of the project were working and what needed improvement.
DHS leaders recently acknowledged the team effort.
“Together with our partners, we made meaningful change during the unwind in the midst of an unprecedented volume of work,” said Jodi Harpstead, commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Services, in a DHS press release. “We celebrate a job well done, while knowing our work continues. We need to continue to invest in essential community engagement and systems improvements to maintain these achievements in the future.”
The Minnesota Council of Health Plans continues to work with DHS to develop new tools, methods and pathways to ensure Minnesotans receive ongoing access to high quality, affordable healthcare. Members of the Council include Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, HealthPartners, Medica, UCare, Hennepin Health and Sanford Health Plan of Minnesota.
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Report links/references:
Department of Human Services Press Release – 09/11/2024
Rewinding the unwind: New reports recap successful renewals in Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare (govdelivery.com)
Minnesota Continuous Coverage Unwinding Project Summary-Deloitte
Project Summary Deliverable (state.mn.us)
Minnesota Health Care Programs Renewal Equity Report-DHS Health Care Administration Office of the Medicaid Medical Director
Minnesota Health Care Programs Renewal Equity Report: July 2023 – March 2024 Renewal Cohorts (state.mn.us)
Health Care Renewal MCO One-Pager (co-created by member health plans with DHS)
Health care renewal MCO one-pager English (mn.gov) Also available in English, Hmong, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese