MINNEAPOLIS— Starting next year, undocumented immigrants in Minnesota will be able to enroll in the state’s low-income health care program, as long as they meet certain other requirements.
Minnesota residents can enroll in state-funded MinnesotaCare starting January 1, 2025, regardless of their citizenship status. It was one of the progressive legislation taken from the 2023 session.
The Department of Human Services says undocumented Minnesotans can apply for enrollment starting Tuesday.
Those interested in coverage can apply online through MNsure or by completing the physical form and returning it to a local county or tribal office. Applicants are encouraged to work with MNsure-certified navigators – who are free – to apply for and apply for eligibility.
To qualify for MinnesotaCare, one must live in Minnesota, have an income at or below the income limit, not be enrolled in Medicare Part A or B, and not be incarcerated. People who have other health insurance, are eligible for medical assistance, or have access to health insurance through an employer are not eligible.
Previously, MinnesotaCare was only available to U.S. citizens, individuals with immigration status considered lawfully present, or individuals who have been granted DACA.
Minnesota lawmakers approved the change that would allow undocumented immigrants to enroll in MinnesotaCare during the 2023 legislative session.
Undocumented immigrants were previously only eligible for emergency medical care, which only covers emergency care and not preventive care or care for chronic conditions.
A Minnesota Senate fact sheet on the MinnesotaCare Immigrant Inclusion Act says exclusions “contribute to extreme inequality” in health care, citing that Hispanic Minnesotans have died from COVID-19 at twice the rate of age adjusted number of white Minnesotans.
According to the Department of Human Services, the legislation received support from a broad coalition of community, health, labor and faith organizations.
Lawmakers hope the change will help address health equity issues.
Last year, Minnesota began allowing undocumented immigrants apply for a driver’s license in an effort to make the roads safer.
“This bill is really about the tens of thousands of individuals and families who don’t have access to these basic needs,” said Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, who introduced the “driver’s license for everyonethe bill said when it passed. “It’s about human dignity.”
