“If I had access to dental care that covered what I need, I would not have rotten teeth that give me endless pain.”
That’s the story St. Cloud member Ayase shared during TakeAction Minnesota’s “Creating People-Centered Care: Health Care Round Table” with Senator Jerry Relph and Representative Dan Wolgamott.
Ayase is on Medical Assistance, but coverage for dental care is limited. She has struggled to find dentists who will take her coverage and actually give her the services she needs. The Minnesota House and Governor Walz have a plan to expand dental care. But the Minnesota Senate proposed budget not only fails to expand care, they actually cut it.
“I would be able to eat without having to worry about injuries or food stuck in my mouth causing more problems. And maybe, just maybe, I could actually get the care I need and not be forced to settle for just barely enough.”
With threats to the health care provider tax, Ayase is not only fighting for adequate dental care, but now she has to fight for her health care coverage in general. Without the provider tax, the Health Care Access Fund, which funds MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance, will be drained. And the health care of Minnesotans like Ayase will be in jeopardy.
Our Stories Matter
Health care was the most important issue in St. Cloud in the 2018 election. And it still is. Fifteen minutes before our health care round table started, the conference room filled and we had to move to the lobby. It quickly became less of a round table and instead a circle of community members hurting and passionate about their loved ones.
At the start, each person was asked to throw a Popsicle stick into the middle if a statement applied to them. When I read out, “You or someone you care about has medical debt because of the high cost of healthcare,” almost everyone tossed a blue Popsicle stick into the middle. Jane, a mother of a sick son in our community, shared how powerful it felt to know she was not alone, but also how afraid she was that her son could lose his healthcare if funding is taken away.
Raye, who has fought for Earned Sick and Safe Time, LGBTQ protections, and better health care, also shared their health care story.
“Health care impacts my life because I have coverage, and I don’t have to constantly worry about losing my health care, not paying bills, or having to drop out because of health issues. In the age of GoFundMe health care fundraisers, it sucks to see people in my community have to rely on the goodwill of others just to access the healthcare they need to survive.”
Katy, a community leader, advocate, and mother, knows the difficult choices that Minnesotans have to make. She’s been there. Her son, Vincent, was diagnosed with LCH, a cross between cancer and leukemia.
“My family makes too much money to get access to MinnesotaCare, but we make too little money to afford private insurance through my husband’s job. Even with my income, we couldn’t afford the treatment my family needs. This is the most isolating part of having to take care of sick family members: the worry about not having enough, about never having enough. The OneCare buy-in option could change my family’s life, and it would bring me some security and peace of mind.”
This is the most isolating part of having to take care of sick family members: the worry about not having enough, about never having enough.
Ready to Fight. Ready to Win.
These are the stories that legislators in St. Cloud need to be grounded in. It was powerful for members and activists to look legislators in the eye and tell them what is happening in our community. To state plainly that we deserve better, that our communities deserve better, and that we as voters deserve better representation in the Senate.
We asked Sen. Relph and Rep. Wolgamott to commit to protecting the provider tax, leading the way for a ONECare buy-in, and funding dental care expansion. Rep. Wolgamott said he would vote with the people. Sen. Relph did not.
Many of us walked away feeling frustrated and unheard, but we walked away clearer than ever that our power comes for our stories and from each other.
We are ready to keep this conversation going. We are ready to keep fighting. And we are ready to create a future where everyone—no matter who they are or where they live—has the health care they deserve.
Fight for health care that works for all us. Meet with our organizers in St. Cloud, Duluth, and the Twin Cities by emailing sabrina@takeactionminnesota.org. And share your health care story here.
