MinnesotaCare expanded to include undocumented immigrants
MINNEAPOLIS — Starting next year, undocumented immigrants in Minnesota will be able to enroll in the state's low-income health coverage program, so long as they satisfy certain other requirements.
Residents of Minnesota can enroll in the state-only funded MinnesotaCare regardless of citizenship status starting Jan. 1, 2025. It was among the progressive legislation to come from the 2023 session.
The Department of Human Services says that, as of Tuesday, Minnesotans who are undocumented can apply for enrollment.
Those interested in coverage can apply online through MNsure or by filling out and returning the physical form to a local county or tribal agency. Applicants are encouraged to work with MNsure-certified navigators —which are free — to apply for and request eligibility.
To qualify for MinnesotaCare, one must live in Minnesota, have an income at or below the income limit, cannot be enrolled in Medicare Part A or B and must not be incarcerated. People who have other health insurance, qualify for Medical Assistance or have access to health insurance through an employer are not eligible.
Previously, MinnesotaCare had only been available to U.S. citizens, individuals with an immigration status that is considered lawfully present or individuals who have been granted DACA.
Minnesota lawmakers approved the change allowing undocumented immigrants to enroll in MinnesotaCare during the 2023 legislative session.
Undocumented immigrants were previously only eligible for Emergency Medical Assistance, which only covers emergency-related care and not preventative care or care for chronic conditions.
A fact sheet from the Minnesota Senate on the MinnesotaCare Immigrant Inclusion Act says that exclusions "contribute to extreme inequities" in health care, citing that Latinx Minnesotans have died of COVID-19 at twice the age-adjusted rate of white Minnesotans.
The legislation received support from a broad coalition of community, health, labor and faith organizations, according to the Department of Human Services.
Lawmakers hope the change will help address issues in health equity.
Last year, Minnesota began allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses in an effort to make roads safer.
"This bill is really about the tens of thousands of individuals and families who lack access to this basic need," Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, who sponsored the "driver's licenses for all" bill said at the time of its passing. "It's about human dignity."