This article is written by guest contributor Lin Nelson, vice president of public affairs at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

As Minnesota’s largest not-for-profit health plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota evaluates all proposed legislation related to healthcare with one fundamental question: Would this help ensure that high quality care is affordable and accessible for the greatest number of people?

The 2023 Minnesota legislative session included many opportunities to pose this question, with the introduction of a record-setting 6,705 new bills and a $72 billion state budget.

Throughout the session, the Blue Cross Public Affairs team worked with legislators and advocated for solutions that would make a positive impact for Minnesotans in all 87 counties.

I am proud of the role that Blue Cross played in helping to advance proposals that can make a difference in the health and wellbeing of all Minnesotans. Those include:

Dedicating a portion of JUUL settlement dollars to tobacco prevention
For close to 20 years, the Blue Cross Center for Prevention has played a significant role in helping Minnesota become a national leader in tobacco cessation and use-prevention. Funding from the settlement will strengthen the work of all organizations and providers working to create healthier communities.

Universal school meals
Schools were already providing free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch – but the programs came with income eligibility restrictions that were administratively burdensome for districts. This bill removes these barriers and provides meals to all students.

Historic investment in children and families
This session saw nearly $2B invested in early childhood care and education, including the creation of the Department of Children and Families. Results of this will include the streamlining of processes that will allow families to more easily access what they need, including affordable childcare, a living wage for more childcare workers, and increased access to early learning, home visiting, and early childhood mental health support.

Expansion of Medicaid dental access and coverage
New legislative expansion means that all Medicaid recipients in Minnesota will receive comprehensive dental benefits, starting in 2024. In addition to closing the gap in dental health, particularly for children ages 2 to 5, the expanded services are expected to reduce visits to Emergency Rooms for nontraumatic dental care.

Expanded eligibility to MNCare to undocumented residents
Blue Cross has a long history of caring for the state’s most vulnerable populations and has been a key partner with the Minnesota Department of Human Services since the inception of Medical Assistance Managed Care in 1974. This expansion provides coverage to uninsured children and adults to improve health status, increase use of preventative services, reduce financial burden and save thousands in government spending each year.

Expanded Access to Doula Services
Supporting birth equity has been a commitment of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation as well as the health plan’s strategy for advancing Racial and Health Equity. Blue Cross supported expanding access to doula services for mothers on Medicaid to improve long-term health outcomes. Blue Cross believes that access to comprehensive and culturally appropriate care closes the maternal health and mortality gap and provides the healthiest start for infants.

L-R: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Blue Cross CEO Dana Erickson, Blue Cross Chief Equity Officer Bukata Hayes, First Lady Gwen Walz and Blue Cross Racial & Health Equity Policy Director Janelle Waldock at the bill signing for universal school meals on March 22, 2023.

In addition to advocating for legislation that would benefit members, Blue Cross also spoke out against proposals that would have had a negative impact on our members and the overall healthcare system. We were successful in working with providers, consumers and other health organizations to advocate for thoughtful analysis and study before certain proposals were enacted into law, including:

Prescription drug ”carve-out” in public programs
Blue Cross opposed a proposal that would have separated the administration of medical care and pharmacy benefits in public healthcare programs. This type of “carving out” drug coverage from medical benefits interferes with the ability to offer seamless care coordination across all healthcare services. Opposing the carve-out ensures enrollees do not have to contact two different entities – the Department of Health Services for pharmacy and prescriptions and Blue Cross for all other services – to manage their care.

Managed care opt-out
Blue Cross had expressed concerns that Minnesotans would not receive timely or enough information to make informed decisions between enrolling in a Medicaid fee-for-service program or a managed care health plan, which could result in lost access to high quality care. Members enrolled in a Blue Cross Medicaid health plan have access to more providers, care coordination, transportation to appointments and other support services that would be lost when enrolled in a fee-for-service option.

Across our organization, in every plan, program and department, the commitment to ensure our members have access to high quality, culturally informed and accessible care is at the center of everything we do. For the entire Public Affairs team at Blue Cross, it is a privilege to collaborate with stakeholders across the state on important issues that impact the health of all Minnesotans.