This week, KSTP released a new poll showing affordability and inflation are major concerns for Minnesota voters, and healthcare is a key part of that. Also, a deeper dive into the state's fraud crisis, Democrats in Washington press their case for Medicare for All as elections near, and federal auditors say HHS overpaid Medicare Advantage reimbursements to UnitedHealthcare.

Children's Minnesota received a record-setting $35 million gift to expand access to precision medicine this week, and state officials shared an update on the revalidation of thousands of Medicaid providers. Also, some Allina Health physicians file a strike notice.

Emergency department staff at Hennepin Healthcare were called upon yet again this week to respond to a mass shooting that injured multiple people in Minneapolis. It highlighted the role HCMC plays in emergency response, one of the key arguments for a state rescue of the hospital earlier this year. Also, a new report detailed sharply rising Medicaid spending expected in Minnesota as the state braces for what experts predict will be a significant budget imbalance awaiting the next legislature.

Minnesota's Affordable Care Act marketplace, MNSure, is ready for enrollees this fall, even as federal tax subsidies have lapsed and premium prices rise. CEO Libby Caulum and Julia Dreier, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Commerce's insurance division say the end of enhanced federal tax credits have prompted major changes in enrollment, and that more challenges, like so-called "junk plans" loom for consumers in 2027. Caulum also said Minnesota has robust verification for enrollees that has prevented ACA fraud that has drawn headlines in other states.

This week: GOP nominee Lisa Demuth and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar are traveling the state and gearing up their election campaigns. They're also talking more about healthcare, now that their party primaries are over. Also, the state is about to get a new minimum wage for nursing home workers, and yes, another food-borne illness outbreak is hitting Minnesota.

Immigration enforcement and Medicaid fraud proved the deciding issues in this week's election, but healthcare affordability, rising uninsured rates and looming Medicaid cuts are still in the background as Minnesota heads for the fall elections. Plus, new moves against gender-affirming care and CDC vaccine recommentations by the Trump administration.

The Star Tribune drew on recordings of private meetings for a look at Hennepin Healthcare's financial troubles that eventually required a state rescue in May. Former executives say repeated interventions by elected county officials thwarted efforts to address the crisis. Also, statewide candidates talk healthcare on the campaign trail, and the Health Resources and Service Administration says it will convert some 340b discounts to rebates starting in January.

Epidsode photo: Chad Davis, via Flickr

This week, health policy discussions sharpened as candidates headed into the final lap of campaigning ahead of Minnnesota's Aug. 11th primary election. Also, the Minnesota Department of Health convened a meeting of two task forces that could shape healthcare cost and policy in the next legislature. And, Minnesota ranks #2 in a new analysis of healthcare quality in the U.S.

The federal government announced a third Medicaid reimbursement freeze for Minnesota, citing ongoing fraud and Allina shows off its new, 21-century, AI-ready addition, with 190 patients and 30 high tech operating rooms.