New Report Shows That Childhood Vaccination Rates Continue Decreasing in Minnesota

March 6, 2025

A new MN Community Measurement (MNCM) report reveals that childhood immunization continues to show a decrease in statewide rates from year to year. This measure has not shown improvement in rates following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This is just one of the findings of the report, released February 28, called Health Care in Minnesota: Summary Report on Quality, Disparities, and Cost. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the state’s healthcare performance in 2023. It also highlights trends in healthcare quality, disparities, and costs - offering valuable and actionable insights for community partners including medical groups, payers, policy makers, public health agencies, researchers, and community-based organizations. 

Report highlights include: 

Healthcare Quality 

• Colorectal cancer screening rates for the newly eligible 45-49 age group have improved. While the 2023 rate for all age groups has significantly increased compared to 2022, it remains significantly lower than 2021. 

• Significant gaps remain in asthma control and depression care, with thousands of patients needing improved care to meet statewide benchmarks. 

• There were modest improvements in breast cancer screening, controlling high blood pressure, and diabetes eye exams. 

Healthcare Disparities 

• Black, Indigenous, and Hispanic/Latinx patients experienced the most disparities across multiple measures, particularly in Colorectal Cancer Screening. 

• Patients speaking Hmong, Karen, Somali, and Spanish, as well as those from Laos, Mexico, and Somalia, had lower rates of preventive care and chronic disease management compared to statewide averages. 

Cost and Utilization 

• The total cost of care increased by 8.4% in 2023, primarily driven by a 15.3% rise in pharmacy costs and higher outpatient hospital service utilization. 

• All categories of medical services saw increased use, except for inpatient admissions. Women aged 36-64 had the highest number of claims, while men aged 18-35 had the lowest number of claims. 

The new results come from data reported to MNCM in 2024, covering services received by patients in 2023. The report includes measures across preventive health, chronic conditions, mental health for adults and children/adolescents, total cost of care, and utilization.