Legislative Session Starts; MMA to Focus on 5 Major Issues
February 19, 2026
State lawmakers returned to St. Paul on February 17 for the second half of the 2025-2026 biennium.
CentraCare Lays Off More than 500, County Takes Over HCMC
August 14, 2025
It was a tumultuous week for healthcare in Minnesota as St. Cloud-based CentraCare announced that it was laying off 535 of its employees, and the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the Hennepin Healthcare System board, which controls Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) in downtown Minneapolis.
Both decisions were financially motivated.
A large majority, 70%, of the CentraCare layoffs include administrative and support positions. “To safeguard the organization’s stability and to continue delivering high-quality care, we have made difficult, but necessary, staffing adjustments,” CentraCare stated.
The Hennepin County Board’s action is in response to a “mounting financial crisis that threatens the long-term viability of the county’s flagship public hospital and safety-net health system,” the board said in a release. HCMC has reportedly lost money seven of the past eight years.
The County Board’s goal is to “stabilize operations, preserve essential services, and ensure continued access to care for the county’s most vulnerable residents.”
Latest News
MMA Leaders Testify on Medicaid Cuts
February 19, 2026
On the second day of the legislative session, MMA leadership was already advocating for one of its top priorities - minimizing the harm of federal changes to Medical Assistance (MA).
MMA Priority Bill on AI and Prior Auth Already Moving at the Capitol
February 19, 2026
Legislation to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in prior authorization requirements was heard in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee on February 19.