Three weeks after more than 5,000 immigrant adults in Minnesota lost federally funded Medical Assistance, clinic leaders in Minneapolis warn that the next risk may be quieter than an emergency. Patients who lose coverage may delay visits, skip screenings, or ration medications for conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Sheila Kennedy, medical director at Southside Community Health Services, told MPR News that some patients "might take their blood pressure pill every other day, or every other week, or every other month."
The change took effect Oct. 1 under H.R. 1, the federal tax and spending law enacted in July 2025. It ends full Medicaid eligibility for many lawfully present immigrants who do not have green cards, including refugees and people granted asylum. Kennedy warned that conditions that could be managed with routine appointments and medication may later require more complex care in an emergency department.
