The Minnesota Department of Health on Monday rolled out the first-ever legislative report from its new Center for Health Care Affordability, setting the stage for a multiyear push to figure out why care costs so much and who is getting left out. The report spells out research priorities through 2026 and early findings on Minnesotans who are being priced out of basic services. State officials frame the center as a statewide hub that will blend number crunching, community outreach, and advisory task forces to shape concrete policy recommendations.
What the report lays out
The center’s inaugural legislative report outlines a 2026 work plan that centers on identifying what drives health care spending and when those costs actually bring value, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Lawmakers created the center in 2023 and wrote its mission into statute as a way to study health care spending trends and recommend reforms. Minnesota statute 62J.312 directs the commissioner of health to establish and oversee the Center for Health Care Affordability.
How many Minnesotans are skipping care
Cost is already shutting people out of the system. In 2023, 24.5% of Minnesotans said they went without some type of needed health care because they could not afford it, and the rate among people without insurance jumped to 52.7%, according to the Minnesota Health Access Survey. The center’s launch materials also spotlight people living with chronic conditions, who reported especially steep hurdles, with 32.0% delaying or forgoing care, a figure highlighted in a post from the Minnesota Department of Health.
What the center will do next
The report lays out the next steps that include convening advisory task forces of health care providers and payers, building data tools that track where dollars go in the system, and developing policy options for legislators that target waste and unproductive administrative spending. The goal is to land on specific proposals that keep costs in check without cutting back on high-value services. Center staff plans to put the experiences of Minnesotans who delay or skip care at the center of that work so recommendations reflect the tradeoffs people are already making.
Why this matters
With premiums climbing and affordability taking center stage in state policy debates, the center’s findings are likely to weigh heavily on legislative and regulatory decisions in the coming years. State officials say they are betting on a mix of data analysis and community input to move beyond broad talking points and into reforms that can actually be implemented. Lawmakers, advocates, and families watching their medical bills rise will be looking to see whether the center’s recommendations translate into real policy changes that cut out-of-pocket costs for Minnesotans.
