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Biden cabinet member highlights Medicaid enrollment
Biden Administration’s top healthcare official stresses need for those using government health coverage to reapply this year.
MINNEAPOLIS — If you’re using Medicaid health coverage, pay close attention to your mail.
That was the overriding message from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra Thursday when he stopped at the NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center to highlight a concerted effort to get 92 million Americans reenrolled in the system.
The emergency rules that delayed renewal eligibility reviews during the pandemic have come to an end. Those who rely on Medicaid, also known as Medical Assistance here in Minnesota, must reapply to keep those benefits.
“Please open your mail. Please read closely what it says. Please respond to that phone call, that text, or that email,” Secretary Becerra remarked.
“It could be as simple as responding to that piece of mail with your latest address, with basic personal information that will keep you, your kids, your families insured.”
Before the pandemic, 1.2 million Minnesotans were enrolled in Medicaid, but that number grew to 1.5 million as more people became eligible and remained eligible under the emergency rules. They should be looking for envelopes in the mail containing the words “important information enclosed” inside a blue circle.
“Our motto throughout our campaign for renewals is called ‘When it’s time to renew, look for the blue.’ There’s a big blue circle on the envelope,” Minnesota Human Services Commissioner Jodi Harpstead told reporters.
She said it’s not clear if all 1.5 million enrollees will seek to renew medical assistance because some have now obtained jobs with health benefits or are making enough money to qualify for Minnesota Care or to buy a subsidized private plan through the MnSURE marketplace.
“Minnesota has some extra challenges. We have underfunded our IT systems over the decades, so we are one of three states that are doing this entire process on paper.”
Harpstead, state lawmakers, county commissioners, and health providers took part in a roundtable event with Becerra before they addressed reporters. Rep. Mohamud Noor of Minneapolis said there’s a coordinated effort to make sure people don’t fall through the cracks during the reapplication process.
“This is all hands on deck to make sure we provide coverage to Minnesotans, especially the youngest ones and the most vulnerable members in our society,” Rep. Noor said.
Most Medicaid recipients enroll through their local county social service offices, which handle the full spectrum of public benefits for lower-income families. Hennepin County Commission Chair Irene Fernando said that counties are working together to process the wave of new applications.
“Minnesotans can rest assured their entire, all of their governments are working on their behalf to ensure they are covered, regardless of where they live. We want them to survive and thrive.”
NorthPoint Health and Wellness is already assisting 10 guests with renewal applications each day and is expecting thousands of others to ask for help in the coming year as their current coverage expires.
Dr. Kevin Gilliam, the medical director at NorthPoint, said the pandemic may be fading but the clinic is busier than ever as patients look to catch up on the things they put off during that global health crisis.
“Those things that were on the back burner that are now boiling over need to be brought to the front, and are more apparent,” Dr. Gilliam explained.
“Those chronic health conditions people deal with that have gone without much attention, so diabetes, the hypertension, the heart failure, those things are less well controlled.”
That’s why it’s essential for those qualified for medical assistance to keep that coverage going.
“At NorthPoint, we will see people no matter your ability to pay, but we don’t people to incur other expenses and other stressors that lead to worse health outcomes.”
Dr. Rahshana Price-Isuk, NorthPoint’s clinical services director, said the re-enrollment rush will give physicians another chance to engage with patients.
“I love to educate people on the why, why do you need to you need to fill out this paper, why should you respond,” Dr. Price-Isuk told KARE.
“When that coverage lapses you might show up at your pharmacy and all of sudden you’re handed a large bill for your medications, and you hand that back because it’s like, ‘I can’t afford that.’ Then diabetes is uncontrolled, blood pressure is uncontrolled. People need that resource.”
The board said performances and classes will cease with the theater’s closure at the end of October.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis theater community was dealt a huge blow Friday after it was announced a popular improv performance space will close next month.
Managing director of Uptown’s HUGE Improv Theater, Sean Dillon, confirmed the news to KARE 11 Friday afternoon. Dillon said performances and classes will cease with the theater’s closure at the end of October. A Facebook post published by the theater chalked up the reasons for the decision as “complex, but they ultimately boil down to money.”
“The Board has concluded that, after a series of expected and unexpected challenges, cash flow just cannot sustain the work HUGE was set out to accomplish,” the post reads.
But while the theater maintains the closure comes amid financial troubles, some members of the community believe the closure is related to the resignation of the theater’s co-founder Butch Roy and artistic director Becky Hauser last month. The resignations came after it was alleged the theater whitewashed casting for an upcoming show. The theater’s co-executive and inclusion director, John Gebretatose, went on to write an open letter, questioning the theater’s commitment to diversity among its performers.
Following the resignations, the board released a statement on its website, saying it was “in the process of developing a plan to ensure we reflect our ideal that improv is for everyone.”
The HUGE Improv Theater Board also denied the rumors in its social media post Friday.
“We want to be emphatically clear: the open letter raising concerns about diversity on HUGE’s stage is not the reason for this closure,” the post said. “HUGE was already in a precarious financial situation, and there simply isn’t a viable way forward.
“Our struggle to find sufficient stable funding in no way diminishes the amazing work that HUGE has produced and supported over the years, and more importantly the diverse and enthusiastic community it has fostered.
“We know work still lies ahead to ensure that improv in the Twin Cities is truly a space for everyone, and we look to our community to continue these vital and challenging conversations.”
Co-founder Jill Bernard, who began improv in 1993, is grateful to have helped take the Minneapolis improv scene to new heights.
“When I started improv in 1993, there were very few women, there were very BIPOC performers, and we’ve sort of changed everything that’s possible for people to really hear and use their own voices on stage,” Bernard said. “And I feel like HUGE was a big part of that.”
The theater said it plans to run its shows through October as planned, as well as its fall term classes. The board encouraged the community to support performers and “participate in the life of the theater to the fullest extent you can.”
“There will be more to share as we move forward, but for now: thank you all for everything you have given to this place, and for always being the beating heart of what makes HUGE HUGE.”
A Shorewood woman died Friday after being hit by a truck while crossing the street.
SHOREWOOD, Minn — A woman died on Friday after being hit by a truck while crossing a highway in Shorewood.
It happened at about 1 p.m., according to Minnesota State Patrol, on Highway 7.
Officials said the 65-year-old woman from Shorewood was walking across the highway at Christmas Lake Road when she was struck by a Ford F150 that was turning left onto Highway 7.
The name of the victim has not yet been made public.
After four years, mounting safety concerns, and a Public Utilities Commission hearing, 100+ wind turbine blades stuck Grand Meadow could finally be on the move.
GRAND MEADOW, Minn. — Wind turbines are a common sight across southern Minnesota, but a massive pile of more than 100+ discarded wind turbine blades isn’t something you see every day.
Unless you live in Grand Meadow.
“The whole town is upset about it,” said Patti Harvey who lives near the lot where the blades have been sitting since 2020. “It’s a real mess.”
“This is a nuisance,” said Mower County Commissioner, Polly Glynn, who also lives in the town, which is about 20 miles south of Rochester.
“I call it a turbine graveyard,” said Grand Meadow City Administrator, James Christian, who has been looking for a way to remove the turbines ever since it was clear that they had overstayed their welcome. The owners thought they’d be here for about three months. This was supposed to be just a temporary lay-down yard.”
NextEra Energy decommissioned the blades from its nearby windfarm in 2020, and paid a start-up called RiverCap to remove them.
“Initially, (RiverCap) was going to recycle them, and crush them down into an aggregate that would then go into concrete,” Christian said. “And then this spinoff company from RiverCap, called Canvus, they were going to turn them into furniture. Outdoor furniture.”
“Everything sounded wonderful, but it just didn’t get done,” said Glynn, who said she spoke to and emailed with the recycling company several times. “But every deadline has come and gone.”
Eventually, Glynn said both companies went out of business and the blades became a growing health and safety issue.
“It’s nasty, just nasty stuff,” Havey said. “It’s dirty and the kids want to play on it and there’s all kinds of critters that live in those things.”
“We’ve had a lot of problems with animals out here,” Christian said. “Raccoons, foxes, and other animals that shouldn’t be in town.”
After yet another deadline came and went in July, Christian stopped playing nice.
“I knocked on every door and called every number I could find until I finally got to the Utilities Commission,” he said.
After looking into the site permit for the wind farm, Christian decided to file a complaint against NextEra Energy.
“In the initial permit application, they said that they were going to have these things taken care of, recycled or put in a proper facility,” he said.
In the PUC hearing about that complaint on Thursday, NextEra Energy representatives said they do not have ownership of the blades, but with the owners out of business and unresponsive the commission ordered NextEra to take action.
“When we do these permits, we expect you to act in good faith and follow your commitments and you have the permit obligation to put them at an appropriate facility,” said commissioner John Tuma. “I find it not appropriate. I find that sticking it in Grand Meadow is not a final resting place.”
NextEra Energy then agreed to get to work.
“Removal must start by Oct. 5 and must be completed by Dec. 15 of this year,” Christian said. “It felt like I was finally being listened to.”
“James (Christian) has really stepped up and tried to get this out,” Glynn said. “I feel pretty good that we’ve got some clout behind it now. Hopefully, it will get done.”
Christian: “I’ll believe it when I see it, but I do have a little more faith than I had yesterday morning.”
Erdahl: “Are they going to throw you a parade if this actually happens?”
Christian: “There was mention yesterday of a parade once the final truck leaves town. Put some banners and ribbons on it.”
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