“He said if he indulges in any non-essential items, he risks going hungry. Huebner mostly eats pasta and peanut butter sandwiches and said this is the most calorie-dense option available to him.” www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...

“I did a lot of work around health equity and reducing health disparities. I saw what the numbers looked like for people that looked like me or people that did not have a lot of health literacy,” Maalimisaq said. “I know what it feels like to sit in that chair and not feel comfortable.”

A combination of rising costs and fewer Medicare Advantage insurers is prompting an unprecedented number of Minnesotans to review their options for 2026.

Food bank leaders in Minnesota say they’re navigating a drop in giving at the same time need is picking up. A massive surge in demand could be on the way if SNAP faces cuts from the government shutdown.

Antimicrobial resistance is responsible for some 1.2 million deaths a year a year and contributes to millions more. Data in the new report shows that the problem is growing at an alarming rate. n.pr/3J0HVBC

NEW: ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the Trump administration’s cuts to an aid program.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce has released the final rates for individual and small group health insurance plans for 2026. The average premium increase on the individual market will go up 22 percent, while the small group market sees a 14 percent increase.

Do you have questions about vaccine recommendations and changes? After a flurry of state and federal news last week around vaccines and who should get them, Minnesotans may be struggling to keep up. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

The Indigenous Interpreters Organization works to support Indigenous ASL interpreters as a means of meeting the need and improving interpreting for Deaf Indigenous people. They work to educate the interpreting community about the need for culturally informed interpreting.

UPDATE: President Trump and his deputies tied autism to acetaminophen use during pregnancy, presented a cancer drug as a possible treatment, and said the FDA would change labeling to reflect both claims. There is little strong scientific evidence for either.

The Department of Agriculture said it will end a longstanding annual food insecurity survey. Experts say the move will obscure the effects of recent changes that will lead to people losing food aid.

Millions of dollars worth of contraceptives destined for low-income countries were destroyed at the direction of the Trump administration.

The order directs the Minnesota Department of Health to work with other state agencies to identify, review and remove barriers to vaccine access to the “fullest extent permitted by law.”

As details of the mass shooting in Minneapolis continue to emerge, many parents are worried about how children will cope. Sarah Jerstad, psychologist and medical director of outpatient mental health services at Children's Minnesota, shared how to help children process and manage their feelings.

Preliminary filings show that insurers are seeking average premium increases ranging from 7 percent to 26 percent for 2026 plans on the individual market, and between 7 percent and 17 percent on the small group market.

A United States Senate investigation has identified more than 500 credible reports of human rights abuses in US immigration detention since January, including alarming allegations of mistreatment of pregnant women and children.

As of July 17, nearly 100 federal grants totaling more than $20 million in outstanding funds have been terminated or suspended at the University of Minnesota. Written by @bzosiad.bsky.social and Shubanjana Das

A Minnesota blood center has declared a blood emergency due to a shortage throughout the state. More from Erica Zurek (@ericazurek.bsky.social)

Medicare Advantage is costing taxpayers $550 billion this year. UnitedHealth Group and a web of business partners have built a research apparatus — replete with flawed studies and papers — to push back against critics and ward off attempts at MA reform. www.statnews.com/2025/08/11/u...

“$9.7 million worth of contraceptives could have provided pregnancy prevention for more than 650,000 people for up to one year, and for 950,000 people for three to 10 years, depending on the method.”

Hospitalization and mortality data from the Minnesota Department of Health do not signal a COVID-19 flare-up in the state so far this summer. U of MN wastewater measurements of the disease, however, are trending upward. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0... by @craigstetter.bsky.social via @mprnews.org

For smaller stations in Minnesota, federal dollars make up a more significant share of their budgets. Twelve broadcasters get more than 30 percent of their funding from the CPB.

BREAKING: ICE officials will gain access to personally identifiable information for all Medicaid enrollees, according to an agreement obtained by the AP.

The defendants maintain that abortion is a legitimate form of medical care, not an infringement on parental rights.

Funding for SNAP-Ed, the educational piece of the nationwide federal food assistance program, was completely eliminated in the massive Trump administration spending bill recently signed into law. One local leader says it will cause serious harm to Minnesota families.

1 in 5 Minnesotans could lose health coverage under federal Medicaid cuts outlined in a package Trump signed into law on July 4. Aside from direct impacts to Medical Assistance recipients, local providers warn the cuts mean healthcare costs could go up for others in the state.

To his surprise, George Johnson discovered a giant advertisement for Gold Medal Flour covering an entire wall on the south side of the house, hidden beneath what appeared to be the original lap siding.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for adolescents under the age of 18. The ruling does not have an immediate impact on Minnesota law. Gender-affirming care remains legal and protected in the state. www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0... @mprnews.org

NEW: The Trump administration cut research funding that sought cures for future pandemics, examined the causes of dementia and tried to prevent HIV transmission. ProPublica heard from more than 150 researchers to understand the work that’s been lost.

Research shows that veterans, in particular, benefit from outdoor activities as part of a complementary approach to treating mental health. Studies indicate that outdoor recreation and multi-day wilderness trips can reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Some of the CDC's main channels for communicating urgent health information to the public have gone silent.

The North Dakota Health and Human Services Department reported two new cases of measles in eastern Cass County over the weekend, increasing the state’s total number of infections to 11.

I made a timeline of all the actions in Trump's (almost) first 100 days that have upended science and health. It was staggering to me to see it all in one place, even though I reported on many on these events. www.statnews.com/2025/04/24/t...

NEW: Whistleblower records show that the NIH axed research grants – even after a federal judge blocked the cuts with an injunction. www.propublica.org/article/trum... 🧵

The Minnesota Library Association says some $3 million a year in federal library funding is in jeopardy and could threaten vital library programs across the state.

Kramarczuk's deli in Minneapolis has been a powerhouse of the Ukrainian community since 1954, hiring immigrants and refugees and helping them assimilate into the American culture. But with the current administration stopping the renewal of work permits, people fear they may soon have to return home.

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy has announced the launch of the Vaccine Integrity Project. A team of health experts is launching this independent project that could start its own vaccine evaluations and guidelines — apart from federal health agencies.

The National Park Service is seeking applicants for a job that puts a new spin on “remote work.” The agency is looking for people or groups interested in managing the 10-room Kettle Falls Hotel, a historic hotel along a wild stretch of the Canadian border, accessible only by boat or float plane.

The US National Institutes of Health has terminated nearly 800 research projects at a breakneck pace, wiping out significant chunks of funding to entire scientific fields Read the full story: https://go.nature.com/3EuFRPV

NEW: In agency after agency, the U.S. government is losing its capacity to measure how American society is functioning, making it much harder to gauge the nature and scale of the problems we are facing and the effectiveness of policies. By @alecmac.bsky.social

I look at close to 100 stories a week and even more outside of work. I’ve done this ten years. This is among the most horrific things I’ve ever read — testimony from dying children whose access to medicine has been cut off by the Trump administration. www.npr.org/sections/goa...

President Trump’s EO on drug prices seeks to delay when small molecule drugs are eligible for Medicare drug price negotiations. That would have made half of the already chosen drugs, with spending totaling $61 billion, ineligible. Our experts explain: on.kff.org/3RkX6WH

NEW: Of the 7,837 disputed procedures in the lawsuit, involving 1,680 patients, Blue Cross paid this breast cancer center about 9 cents on the dollar, paying $43M on invoices totaling $500M. Some 60% of the claims weren’t reimbursed at all.

Nearly 200 people, many of them Minnesota Department of Health employees, rallied against spending cuts to public health.

Immigrants fill many U.S. health care jobs. Without foreign-born workers, industry insiders told KFF Health News, the home health and personal care industry is in trouble. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

State officials are voicing concern about the status of energy assistance for low-income Minnesotans, after the Trump administration this week laid off all the staff within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who administer the federal program.

HHS doctors, scientists and tobacco control staff, rare disease experts, cancer drug wizards -- all fired today or leaving in recent weeks. Yet. 🚨 At HHS, staff make up less than one percent of the overall agency budget. 🚨 www.nytimes.com/2025/04/01/h...

BREAKING: The Health and Human Services Department is set to slash 10,000 jobs and streamline authorities under its secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. www.statnews.com/2025/03/27/r...

Trump's federal funding cuts are shutting down studies on Alzheimer’s care, uterine fibroids and pregnancy risks — all because they focus on gender.

A program supported with state funding and run by Catholic Charities Twin Cities is tackling the growing problem of homelessness among people 60 and older. The organization is asking for money to keep the program going, but it’s running headlong into challenges.