Auxiliary bishop, Minnesota Catholics urge lawmakers to uphold MinnesotaCare for undocumented people

Kevin Kenney, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, joined Minnesota Catholics Monday at the Capitol, urging state lawmakers to keep a program that allows undocumented people to receive free or discounted health insurance.

“I’m here because of my love for the immigrant brothers and sisters and (because) we need to continue to reach out and walk with them and help them,” Kenney said at a Capitol press conference. “We need to be able to offer health care to anyone who is here, no matter how they got here, who let them in. Are we going to let them die on the streets? Are we gonna let them suffer? Or are we going to allow them — all of us — the basic health care that we need?”

The bishop’s decision to use his moral megaphone — on the heels of the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, who is set to become a leading American advocate for the world’s poor and dispossessed — arrives at an auspicious time: Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz are making final decisions on a state budget that could fray Minnesota’s relatively robust safety net.

Republicans, who share control of the 67-67 Minnesota House, are against allowing undocumented people to access MinnesotaCare.

The leaders have been meeting daily for over a week behind closed doors to come to a deal on a two-year budget expected to exceed $60 billion. The session ends on May 19, after which Walz would have to call a special legislative session so lawmakers can agree on a budget by June 30. Otherwise the government shuts down on July 1.

MinnesotaCare was created in 1992 to help close the gap in coverage for low-income working families who make more than the income threshold for Medicaid, which is called Medical Assistance in Minnesota.

In 2023, the DFL trifecta expanded the social safety net to include undocumented immigrants, which began on Jan. 1 this year.

Enrollment has surpassed estimates, and Republicans argue undocumented people should be taken off the rolls to save money and discourage people from moving here for coverage.

The Department of Human Services says that its most recent data show that as of April 24, 20,187 undocumented people had enrolled in MinnesotaCare. The program is fee-for-service, meaning the state only pays claims after services are administered.

DHS says it has received 4,306 claims for service, costing Minnesota $3.9 million. This is nearly $1 million over what the state had projected by this date, according to DHS. Some of the undocumented immigrants on MinnesotaCare pay a monthly premium, like other residents who are on the program.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference — the public policy arm of the Catholic Church in Minnesota — lobbied for the creation of MinnesotaCare in the 1990s.

“How do you steward the gift of life if you don’t have access to basic health care? MinnesotaCare is a really comprehensive set of programs and health care benefits, and it’s just really important that low-income people have access to good preventative — not just acute — care,” said Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

Adkins said the MCC has met with Republican leaders on the issue, but they “haven’t seen a lot of policy movement.”

U.S. House Republicans released a proposal this week that would cut Medicaid coverage for millions of low-income Americans. The bill would also target states that allow Medicaid coverage for undocumented immigrants by reducing federal funding for all childless adults without disabilities to 80% from 90%. It’s unclear if this would impact MinnesotaCare, which is not part of Medicaid.

Kenney said that the immigration system needs to be fixed at the federal level, but until then, Minnesotans can take steps to ensure all people, regardless of their immigration status, can have access to health care. He encouraged legislative leaders to think of creative solutions to continue to fund MinnesotaCare for undocumented people.

“You know, I don’t know what we do, but … we shouldn’t let fear take over when we put our priority in the love of (our) neighbor,” Kenney said.

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney’s last name.