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Minnesota Same-Gender Marriage Bill to Receive Another Committee Hearing

"Minnesota Management and Budget predicts that legalizing same-sex marriage would result in 114 more people enrolling for state benefits for their married partners. Fiscal agents estimate the added benefits would cost $688,378 a year. The fiscal note also projected that 5,186 same-sex couples would get married over the next two years if same-sex marriage were legalized in Minnesota on August 1."

Judge Rules Against Minnesota Corrections Department Early Retirement Incentive Plan

Excerpt: A federal judge has ruled that an early retirement incentive plan at the state Department of Corrections discriminates against older employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Monday announced the ruling in the age discrimination lawsuit that was filed in September 2008. The case centered on an early retirement plan that rewarded corrections employees who retired at age 55 with employer contributions for health and dental insurance until they turned 65. But under the plan, employees who retired after age 55 did not receive the employer contributions.

Court Rules Duluth, Minnesota, Free to Change City Employee Retiree Benefits

Excerpt: A state court has sided with the City of Duluth in a long-standing dispute over the generous health benefits provided to hundreds of retired city workers. The court ruled the city is free to change the retiree's benefits to match those of current workers. State District Judge Kenneth Sandvik said Duluth can change the terms for retired workers' health care and that the city is not bound by whatever terms were in effect the day a particular worker retired. The ruling will directly affect what the city pays each year to cover retirees and members of their families, and it will make a huge difference in the city's long-running budget troubles.

Health Plans Launch Own Exchanges Ahead of Public Versions

The prospect of public insurance exchanges are driving some of the maneuvering. As laid out in the health care law, they will allow consumers and small businesses to comparison shop for health plans. Now, a spate of new privately-run online insurance shopping sites are cropping up to cater to small businesses struggling with rising premiums, including 'My Plan by Medica' in Minnesota.

Minnesota's Largest Health Insurer to Drop Individual Health Policies

"Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota will retreat from the sale of health plans to individuals and families in the state starting next year. The insurer, Minnesota's largest, said extraordinary financial losses drove the decision.... The Blues reported a loss of $265 million on insurance operations from individual market plans in 2015. The insurer said claims for medical care far exceeded premium revenue for those plans."

Minn. Pension Fund Seeks Pfizer Price Drop

3/19/04. Excerpt: Managers of Minnesota's $43-billion pension fund propose a shareholder resolution that would require drug giant Pfizer to lower prescription drug prices in the United States. Critics say the effort could backfire, harming Pfizer's stock price and lowering the value of the state's retiree pension fund. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

To Buy or Not to Buy Health Insurance Across State Lines

Excerpt: Democrats prefer a highly regulated 'health insurance exchange,' a marketplace where consumers who don't have insurance through their employers could comparison-shop for policies. It would be a move towards universal coverage, which Republicans oppose. The reform bills also included a provision that would allow states to make insurance agreements among themselves. The plans some Republicans propose would simply allow residents of one state to buy insurance from companies in another state. For example, Minnesota could allow its residents to buy insurance from Texas companies, which are governed by Texas law.

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Creates New Retirement Account for Elders

Excerpt: At her annual State of the Band address on the Mille Lacs reservation in central Minnesota, [Chief Executive Melanie] Benjamin told a crowd of 1,000 people that the band has formed a pension plan. It will be funded by casino revenues and payouts to band members will begin when they turn 62 years old.

Two Trump Moves That Could Reshape Health Insurance

"In a span of less than 24 hours this past week, the Trump administration took two seemingly contradictory actions that could have profound effects on the insurance marketplaces set up by the [ACA]. Health analysts say that at least one of the efforts, coupled with previous changes initiated by the administration, could help transform the insurance market to be much more like it was before the 2010 federal health law took effect -- when regulation, coverage and consumer protections varied widely across the United States."

Audio: A Defense of Private Social Security Accounts

Excerpt: NPR's Robert Siegel talks with the Brookings Institution's Bill Frenzell, an advocate of the president's plan to privatize Social Security. Frenzel is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota and also sat on the president's commission to strengthen Social Security.