Get mad about MinnesotaCare, but Walz and DFL legislative leaders are not the real culprits

Progressives are outraged that Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and House leader Melissa Hortman agreed to a budget deal that will strip health insurance from undocumented adults who became newly eligible for the coverage on Jan. 1 

Here’s Minneapolis City Councilmember Jason Chavez: 

I’m extremely disappointed … They made a deal with the GOP to strip away health care from undocumented residents.

Chavez takes particular aim at Murphy, hinting at a potential primary challenge. “We won’t forget that your re-election is next year.”  

The anger is understandable. At the end of the year, at least 15,000 Minnesotans will be kicked off MinnesotaCare — a public insurance program for the working poor created by then-Republican Gov. Arnie Carlson — if the deal passes. Only undocumented children will still be able to access coverage.

These adults will no longer get routine care, which will worsen chronic conditions or allow undiagnosed conditions to fester. They’ll go to emergency rooms for care. Minnesota hospitals, which favor keeping the program’s eligibility intact, will be forced to provide more uncompensated care. 

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney offered some moral clarity on the subject recently: “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 going to let them suffer? Or are we going to allow them — all of us — the basic health care that we need?”

But Chavez’s “extremely disappointed” attack is wildly misplaced. 

Walz, Murphy and Hortman share power with Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, for whom cutting the MinnesotaCare benefit is a top priority, perhaps her most important priority. 

Walz, Murphy and Hortman had to consider the repercussions of a stalemate that could lead to a government shutdown July 1. Which would be devastating to everyone who relies on state government for services, which is basically all of us — but especially our most vulnerable. 

I suspect most progressives in the Legislature know this, which is why at least so far, we’re not hearing widespread threats to withhold votes to stop the deal, except on the health budget bill that will include the MinnesotaCare provision. Their opposition on that vote will be mostly symbolic, as Murphy should have no problem wrangling some Republican votes. 

(Caveat: It’s a fluid situation, and progressives may wind up risking a shutdown to fight for MinnesotaCare for undocumented people. That’s a difficult choice; let’s hope they make it with eyes wide open.) 

We should also remember what Walz, Murphy and Hortman have managed to protect: paid family and medical leave; earned sick and safe time; and unemployment benefits for hourly school workers, which were three significant achievements of the 2023 Legislature. They’ve also protected schools and social service programs from draconian cuts, despite the state’s structural deficit.  

Instead of the circular firing squad, Democrats might consider who the real culprit here is: Republicans who have made taking subsidized health care away from working people a primary policy goal. 

Why not turn your fire on them? State Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, is out here bragging in a press release about how he’s “been at the forefront” of taking people’s health care. 

Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Township, told a a Democratic senator to “cry harder” for caring about people losing their health care. 

If you want to get mad at Democrats, get mad that they lost control of the House last year, which is how taking health care away from working people rose to the top of the issue agenda. 

Which means getting mad at former President Joe Biden for running for a second term. And getting mad at Kamala Harris for running a lackluster campaign. And getting mad at Minnesota Democrats for running behind Harris in enough districts to lose the House. 

And when it comes to winning the next election, ill-informed attacks on people trying to govern aren’t helpful either.