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FRAUD
HUMAN SERVICES: Via news release from the Governor’s office, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today announced a proposal to transform Minnesota’s human services system, outlining a major structural overhaul of the state’s administration of human services. The proposal would streamline Minnesota’s service delivery model, moving away from the complex, layered administration managed by a patchwork of counties, Managed Care Organizations, and state agencies to a single, centralized entity. The proposal would also modernize Medicaid administration, consolidate administrative functions, and initiate independent reviews to strengthen program integrity and improve how services are delivered to Minnesotans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4rmfyOc
MORE: Via KSTP-TV, VERBATIM: “The plan would be a major structural overhaul for the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), which has been riddled with fraud allegations impacting numerous programs it administers. The department employs over 7,000 people and manages billions of dollars each year . . . Walz referred to the current organizational structure as ‘a bit of a Frankenstein monster,’ very complex and difficult to manage . . . A key part of the plan would eliminate managed care organizations — the state currently has eight organizations certified to provide health care benefits — and transition to a single statewide administrative service organization. More simply, instead of a HealthPartners or UCare administering nearly 80% of basic care services, a single service would be responsible for it all.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4sCUOCY
RESPONSES:
HOFFMAN: Via Senate Majority Media, from Human Services Committee Chair John Hoffman, QUOTE: “I was disappointed to learn about this proposal just last night without a thorough conversation with the committee that has primary jurisdiction over Minnesota’s human services system. The Human Services Committee has spent years working on program integrity, improving service delivery, and strengthening accountability within Medicaid and our broader human services programs. Major structural changes to a system that serves hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans require thoughtful collaboration between the executive branch and the Legislature. The Senate Human Services Committee exists specifically to examine these types of proposals, hear from stakeholders, and ensure reforms are implemented responsibly.” (DISCLOSURE: Fluence provides media support for the Hoffman family related to the assassination attempt)
RASMUSSON: Via Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus, from Human Services committee GOP lead Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, QUOTE: “With Governor Walz months away from leaving office, his administration is proposing new studies instead of focusing on accountability and action. DHS is years behind performing site visits, decades behind on technology, and is barely able to meet legislative deadlines. Governor Walz has had press conference after press conference announcing supposed reforms, but Minnesotans are still staring at this administration’s failures to protect taxpayers and the Minnesotans who rely on these services.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4biZrLk
KORAN: Via Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus, from Sen. Mark Koran, QUOTE: “Gov. Walz wants to give the agency centralized, unchecked power to administer these programs under the same commissioner who oversaw the fraud explosion and hasn’t even been confirmed by the Senate. He didn’t address fraud for eight years. This is just a hail mary attempt to come back from his disastrous fraud crisis.” SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4sCQZxA
TORKELSON: From KSTP-TV’s Tom Hauser via X, VERBATIM: “GOP Rep. Paul Torkelson responds to proposal to ‘transform’ human services. Walz wants to eliminate use of Managed Care Organizations and put eligibility decisions in hands of DHS. Torkelson calls it a ‘bad idea, they haven’t been able to handle responsibility they’ve got’ now.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3NvaRUo
HEALTH PLANS: Via Minnesota Council of Health Plans, VERBATIM: “We understand the proposal includes transitioning Medicaid administration to a single administrative services organization. We have not yet reviewed all the details of the proposal, including actuarial modeling, fiscal projections, implementation timelines, or federal approval requirements. However, a structural redesign of this scale requires thoughtful, data-driven evaluation.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46TBU2f
Check out all the episodes of Sunday Take on 830 WCCO. CLICK: https://fluence-media.co/3KsuDrZ
MEDICAID SUPPORTS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL OF US: Medicaid keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan — regardless of income or health status — can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3FtrCuH (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
POLLING
HEALTH COSTS: Via Navigator Research, VERBATIM: “Health care costs are a near-universal concern in battleground districts. Eight-in-10 Americans in battleground districts say their health care costs have gone up (80%) – and most say their costs have gone up ‘a lot’ (57%).”
“People in the battleground are eight points more trusting of Democrats in Congress than Republicans to make health care and prescription drugs more affordable (44% and 36%, respectively). Unsurprisingly, this belief corresponds with partisanship.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46USrDb
CDC: Via KFF, VERBATIM: “In the weeks after the Trump administration reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines for routine use, the public’s trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) remains at its lowest point, a new KFF Poll on Health Information and Trust finds. Fewer than half (47%) now say that they trust the agency at least “a fair amount” to provide reliable vaccine information, similar to the share who said the same in September, but down more than 10 percentage points since the beginning of the second Trump administration, and continuing a downward trend first measured during the COVID-19 pandemic.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4unGlwa
CAREGIVING: Via Pew, VERBATIM: “As the U.S. population ages, the need for caregivers among older adults is on the rise. There’s growing evidence that family members are increasingly taking on these roles . . . Among those who regularly help a parent with at least one of the tasks we asked about – errands or housework, personal care, managing finances, or managing health care – 56% say this has had a positive impact on their relationship with their parent. Some 16% say the impact has been negative, and 28% say it’s been neither positive nor negative.”
“Caregivers have mixed views of the impact that helping their aging parent has had on their relationship with their spouse or partner (22% negative vs. 26% positive, among those who have a spouse or partner).” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3MW8fil
340B HOSPITAL MARKUPS HURT PATIENTS: Minnesota’s latest 340B report shows covered entities generated $1.34 billion IN PROFIT in 2024, including an estimated $261 million from Medicaid prescriptions. Independent research finds the program raises costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers statewide. Minnesota should sunset the 340B mandate and Congress should fix the federal 340B program, so it actually helps patients. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/46Bh9IA (SPONSORED: PhRMA)
HEALTH IN MINNESOTA
UNINSURED: Via MDH, VERBATIM: “New data released today by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) shows a steep rise in the number of uninsured Minnesotans. According to data from the latest Minnesota Health Access Survey, the state’s uninsured rate increased from a historic low of 3.8% in 2023 to 5.8% in 2025. This equates to approximately 116,000 more Minnesotans without health insurance. It is the highest uninsured rate for the state since 2017, reversing years of improvement in this area.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4urBtXe
CPR: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “There is a new bill in the state legislature that would require all Minnesota high school coaches to be trained in CPR and to be able to use an AED in the event of an emergency. Rep. John Huot supports the measures and talks about how the bills would work and the lives they could save.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3OXTGve
MORE: Via MPR, VERBATIM: “Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth, the chief sponsor of the bill, said voting for it should be the ‘easiest yes vote that anyone should take this year’ because it doesn’t require legislative funding. Schools can access cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and automated external defibrillator, or AED, training for free through many organizations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/40VBiph
HCMC: Via Axios, VERBATIM: “Hennepin County Medical Center is not only at ‘real risk of closing.’ It’s a canary in the coal mine for safety net hospitals everywhere, experts say. Why it matters: HCMC is Minnesota’s largest emergency room, trains a raft of future medical professionals, and serves patients whose needs or incomes often prevent them from seeking care anywhere else. Experts predict it won’t be the last hospital pushed to the brink by mounting threats to Medicaid funding.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4lpcpMi
STRIKE: Via WCCO-Radio, VERBATIM: “After two years of negotiations 600 union doctors and other primary care providers with Allina have voted overwhelmingly to support going on strike. Dr. Matt Hoffman is a family medical physician and part of the bargaining team.” QUOTE: “We’re not filing a 10 day notice now,” says Hoffman “but are willing to do so depending on [Allina’s] engagement with us.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4rnqawk
MAYO: Via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Before Mayo Clinic posted a record $1.47 billion profit, the world-renowned medical system closed clinics and cut services in several cities across southern Minnesota. In those towns, which are still adjusting to the loss, the record 2025 earnings are leaving some people with sick feelings.” QUOTE: “It was just a sinking feeling in my gut,” said Terry Gjersvik, a farmer in rural Albert Lea. “Why are we being punished? ... Why are our services being withdrawn in Albert Lea?” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sHSFGi
HIGHER ED: Via The New York Times, VERBATIM: “The number of college students reporting disabilities rose more than 50 percent over the last decade across a wide swath of schools, including at some of the most selective universities in the nation, according to a New York Times analysis of government data. The rise, which has corresponded with an increase in A.D.H.D., autism and other diagnoses, has also meant an increase in the number of students requiring accommodations, such as more time to take tests . . . Macalester College, a private liberal arts school in St. Paul, Minn., reported that 29 percent of students in 2024 had a disability, up from 5 percent a decade ago. Shammah Bermudez, head of the Center for Disability Resources at Macalester, said the needs that students are reporting now are more complicated than in past years.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47lbJ4I
ADDICTION: Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Emanuel Roberts has been addicted, unhoused and incarcerated. But today, sober and free, he supports others through their recovery journeys as the founder and executive director of Anything Helps, a North Minneapolis nonprofit open to people experiencing addiction, mental illness and homelessness. At Anything Helps’ sunny, welcoming space, Roberts and his staff provide free food, safer drug-use supplies like clean syringes and smoking kits, mental health resources and a sense of community.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4uhYZpv
MED ACCESS: Via Mayo Clinic, VERBATIM: “When the federal Drug Enforcement Agency’s Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act took effect in 2023, academic medical centers across the country faced the same challenge: Every DEA-registered clinician would need to complete eight hours of training on substance use disorders before their next registration renewal. At Mayo Clinic, the response became more than a compliance effort. It became a case study in how continuing professional development can function as an effective and supportive workforce strategy.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bjkMUS
Appeals Court rejects PhRMA’s attack on Minnesota’s contract pharmacy protections: A recent Minnesota Court of Appeals decision upheld the state’s 340B contract pharmacy law – a win for rural and underserved communities. The 340B program allows eligible hospitals to purchase outpatient drugs at reduced prices so they can reinvest in 24/7 access to local health care. Still, many drug companies are not complying with Minnesota law, denying these essential savings to hospitals and the communities that rely on them. Legislators have an opportunity to protect access to affordable health care across Minnesota by supporting SF 3769 and HF 3609, which ensure that 340B is protected and enforced. READ MORE: Appeals court upholds Minnesota’s 340B law in PhRMA lawsuit | AHA News (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
HIJAB: Via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “During the last year of Najma Omar’s doctoral program in occupational therapy at the University of Minnesota, a professor asked students to think about tools that hadn’t yet been invented to help people — but should exist. It prompted Najma, a 28-year-old Minneapolis woman, to start thinking about her own family. Among the 10 children, three are autistic, each with somewhat different communications styles and support needs. In particular, she thought about her younger sister Nasteho, 17, the only girl among the three. She knew that Nasteho struggled with finding a hijab that could assist with her noise sensitivity without adding a lot of weight or increasing pressure around her ears, which headphones or earmuffs did.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bj22oy
LASERS: Via MplsStPaul, VERBATIM: “Lately, one category of treatments has been generating a lot of buzz: lasers. Moxi and BroadBand Light (BBL), once considered niche dermatologist tools, are suddenly having a moment in the spotlight. Medspa experts across the Twin Cities say curiosity around these treatments, which are by no means new, has surged, with more people asking how they work, what they treat, and whether they’re worth adding to a winter routine. We’ve even witnessed an influx of laser-centric concepts opening throughout the metro (like Cleo Skin and Laser and Lasérie in Edina). To break it all down, we turned to local skin care pros for the inside scoop.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bBNcLa
ACQUISITION: Via Texas-based Dynamic Access, VERBATIM: “Dynamic Access, LLC announced today the acquisition of PICC Stat, a respected, family-owned vascular access provider based in Minneapolis and recognized for its commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4b1VjR5
ECUMEN: Via Shoreview-based Ecumen, VERBATIM: “Ecumen, a nonprofit provider of living spaces and services for older adults, today announced that its Board of Trustees has unanimously selected Dr. Cyrus Batheja, EdD, MBA, RN, FAAN, as the organization’s next president and chief executive officer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/46PLXFz
FORUM: If you’re interested in having the Fluence Forum host a topic, please contact Blois Olson at bloisolson@gmail.com
COLORBLIND: Via Stanford, VERBATIM: “Colorblindness may be doing more than making traffic lights confusing — it could also be hiding a life-threatening warning sign. Researchers analyzing millions of medical records found that people with bladder cancer who are also colorblind have a 52% higher mortality rate over 20 years compared to those with normal vision. The likely reason: many people with color vision deficiency struggle to see red, making it harder to notice blood in urine, the most common early sign of bladder cancer.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4sGGt8I
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