Why More Minnesotans Are Dropping Health Insurance—and Why Doing the Same Thing Isn’t Working
A growing number of Minnesotans are quietly making a hard decision: they’re walking away from health insurance.
According to a recent Minnesota Star Tribune report, fewer people are enrolling in individual health plans through MNsure this year, and state officials expect even more to drop coverage in the coming months. As of late December, about 135,000 Minnesotans had signed up—down roughly 4% from the same time last year.
This isn’t because people suddenly stopped caring about their health.
It’s because the system has become unaffordable, unpredictable, and disconnected from real life.
And this moment should force us to ask a bigger question:
If we keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing for decades—and it keeps failing people—why do we think doing more of it will suddenly work?
The Real Problem: Costs Are Rising While Help Is Disappearing
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Minnesotans were protected by expanded federal tax credits that made insurance more affordable. Those enhancements expired on December 31, 2025.
Now the reality is setting in:
- 19,000 Minnesotans are expected to lose their tax credits entirely
- 70,000 more will receive smaller subsidies
The result? Massive premium shocks.
For those who lost subsidies, the median premium increase is $368.72 per month. In some parts of the state—especially for early retirees—monthly increases can reach $1,700 per month.
Even when averaged across all enrollees, premiums are rising by about $240 per month .
That is not a budgeting problem.
That is a structural failure.
The System Is Training People to Wait Until Disaster
One of the most tragic consequences of this system is behavioral.
People are not just being priced out of insurance. They are being trained—over time—to avoid care until something is seriously wrong.
When care is expensive, confusing, and unpredictable, people don’t seek help early. They delay. They hope symptoms go away. They ignore warning signs. They wait until pain becomes unbearable, until infections become emergencies, until manageable conditions become life-altering.
Not because they are careless.
Because the system punishes early action.
This is why researchers warn that when people drop coverage, they don’t suddenly become healthier. They simply delay routine and preventive care, which leads to more serious—and more expensive—problems later.
A healthcare system that trains people to wait until crisis is not a healthcare system.
It’s a disaster response system.
“Cheaper” Plans Aren’t Safer—They’re Riskier
To cope with rising premiums, more Minnesotans are choosing bronze-level plans—lower monthly costs, but much higher out-of-pocket exposure.
This year, 55% of MNsure enrollees chose bronze plans, up from 47% last year.
This means more people technically “have insurance,” but still can’t afford to use it.
They are insured on paper—but uninsured in practice.
Healthcare Costs Have Outpaced Reality
Healthcare costs have not simply risen. They have detached from normal economic life.
They’ve outpaced:
- Wage growth
- Household income
- General inflation
- Cost-of-living increases
When a system consistently grows faster than the people it serves can keep up with, something is fundamentally wrong.
That’s not innovation.
That’s unsustainable.
This is why Minnesota regulators approved premium increases ranging from 13% to 31% across major insurers this year.
And this is why more people are opting out.
Doing the Same Thing Harder Is Not Reform
For decades, we’ve tried to fix this system by layering on complexity:
- More subsidies
- More regulations
- More carveouts
- More special rules
- More exceptions
- More paperwork
- More middlemen
And yet, families are still being priced out.
Still delaying care.
Still rationing visits.
Still afraid of the bill.
Still confused.
Still trapped.
This is why we’ve said: Doing the same thing harder is not reform.
It’s denial.
A system that requires constant emergency patches is not healthy. It’s fragile.
We Need a Radical Rethinking of What Healthcare Is
Not political.
Not partisan.
Not ideological.
Practical.
- Transparent
- Predictable
- Preventive
- Local
- Relationship-based
- Accessible
- Human
It should help people stay well—not wait until they’re broken.
It should reward early action—not punish it.
It should be built around care—not coverage.
Aslan Health Was Built for This Moment
Aslan Health exists because this system is failing people—not hypothetically, but right now.
We serve people who:
- Make too much for Medicaid
- Can’t afford MNsure premiums
- Have high-deductible plans they can’t use
- Are self-employed
- Are between jobs
- Are early retirees
- Are part of the ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)
We believe healthcare should be simple again.
That’s why we offer:
- $75 flat-rate self-pay visits
- Transparent pricing
- No surprise bills
- No deductibles
- No networks
- Walk-in access
- Same-day care
- Preventive-first focus
- Whole-person care
We also provide itemized receipts for those with insurance who need documentation.
We are not a workaround.
We are a prototype.
A proof-of-concept.
A return to first principles.
This Is Not About Politics—It’s About People
This is not about who’s to blame.
It’s about what’s broken.
And it’s broken when working families are forced to choose between:
- Paying rent or paying premiums
- Fixing a tooth or paying a deductible
- Treating a cough or risking bankruptcy
- Seeking care or waiting until disaster
A healthy system doesn’t force those choices.
If You’re Facing Higher Premiums, You’re Not Alone
If your bill just jumped…
If your subsidy disappeared…
If your deductible feels impossible…
If you’re thinking about dropping coverage…
You are not alone—and you still deserve care.
That’s why we’re here.