minnesota legislative report card on racial equity - Organizing ...

HEALTH EQUITYMinnesota tops the nation’s charts on health indicators. At the same time, Minnesota ishome to some of the widest inequities among whites and people of color and AmericanIndians. Minnesotans of color are more likely to face premature death, poorer quality oflife, disease and illness, compared to their white counterparts. Racial inequities in healthare heavy in cost—they cost lives and millions of dollars. 57 Poorly managed chronicillness, inequitable treatment or persistent illness may trigger interventions that are moreexpensive than proactive measures. Nonetheless, since 2001, we have made some progresson decreasing disparities. Infant mortality rates have declined for all groups with decreasesranging from 26 percent to 75 percent for Minnesotan’s people of color and AmericanIndians. 58 Disparities in death from heart disease have decreased for Blacks by 94 percent.While heart disease remains a challenge for Asian-Pacific Islanders and Latinos, there areno visible disparities. Despite progress, stark health disparities remain between healthstatus, life expectancy and quality of life for people of color and American Indianscompared to whites. And, broad race categories often obscure underlying inequities inhealth, such as those that exist within Minnesota’s Asian-Pacific Islander communities.Our health policy must build on this progress, especially as we head into the next decadewith populations of color, new Minnesotans and American Indians continuing to shift theface of health care.health equity legislationHF181/Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis), SF 207/Berglin (DFL-Minneapolis)Covering More Kids with Health Insurance: This legislation will expandhealth care coverage to 22,000 kids, disproportionately children of color. 59 Thislegislation broadens access to children receiving health care by creating an option for allchildren in low-income families living under 200 percent of the poverty level to accessMinnesotaCare at no cost. The bill continues MinnesotaCare coverage for families withchildren up to 275 percent of poverty and then allows families to continue to be coveredby MinnesotaCare when they exceed that income level. More than this, the legislationpaves the way for Minnesota to be the first state in the country to move beyond employerbasedhealth care coverage, towards public health coverage for children. While the tougheconomy has pulled thousands more Minnesotans, particularly Minnesotans of color, intounemployment, reinforcing child poverty, we have yet another opportunity to broaden thetent of public health coverage in the midst of disappearing jobs. The legislation requiresa waiver from the Federal Department of Health and Human Services which has beensubmitted by the state and will be processed during 2010.4 Signed by the Governor (HF 1362, Art. 5, Sec. 55-57, 61-66, 68-69, 71)18 | 2009 <strong>legislative</strong> Report Card on Racial Equity