MN Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation awards grants to improve health care coverage

Bemidji Pioneer (MN)

Oct. 25--MINNEAPOLIS -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in grants to expand health care coverage in communities across the state.

According to a press release, the foundation has provided $1.4 million in grants to 12 nonprofits, including the Northwest Indian Community Development Center in Bemidji. The grants are aimed at helping communities of color, indigenous communities and the LGBTQ community, as well as those in a lower income bracket.

The release states the dollars will be used to fund local outreach navigators, who will connect with fellow community members who are uninsured and eligible for programs like MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance. They will also work to increase awareness of the importance of obtaining and maintaining health insurance.

The announcement comes as the uninsured rate in Minnesota has went from 4.3 percent in 2015 to 6.3 percent in 2017. According to the release, 349,000 Minnesotans are without coverage.

"Access to health care is vital to the health of Minnesotans," said Dr. Mark Steffen, chief medical officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the foundation's board chair in the release. "We know that uninsured people are far more likely to delay health care or go without it entirely -- the impacts of which can be devastating."

"At the foundation, we are committed to our mission of making a healthy difference in communities by advancing health equity and improving the conditions where people live, learn, work and play," Foundation President Carolyn Link said in the release. "Through these grants, we are supporting our grantee partners to meet their communities where they are."