Governor Tim Walz believes health care should be a right, not a privilege.
Photo credit: Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flannagan – flickr.com
Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Governor Tim Walz (D-Minn.) as her running mate and praised him for his work improving health care, particularly his support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which provided health insurance to millions of Americans, and his continued commitment to strengthening that law.1 Harris also pointed to Walz’s efforts as governor of Minnesota to secure paid leave for workers and to ensure that no public school student goes hungry by providing free school breakfast and lunch.
As Minnesota’s governor since 2018, Walz has earned recognition for the state’s top health care ranking and his efforts to lower prescription drug costs. His accomplishments also include advocacy for reproductive rights, mental health resources and public health measures.
Here are 5 things Walz has accomplished in healthcare
1. Improving mental health infrastructure
In 2022, Walz signed a $92.7 million mental health omnibus budget bill to strengthen Minnesota’s mental health infrastructure.2 The bill provides $60 million to increase hospital bed capacity, hire new mental health professionals, and expand mobile crisis units. Another $30 million is earmarked to improve services for people in the correctional system who have been found incompetent to stand trial. The bill also provides funding for children’s mental health services, mobile crisis units, and grants and debt relief for mental health professionals. This represents a bipartisan effort to improve access and support for mental health care across the state.
The following year, Walz signed legislation establishing the Psychedelic Medicine Task Force as part of the Health and Human Services Omnibus.3 After years of research into its therapeutic effects, psychedelic medicine has recently gained renewed attention, particularly among people with PTSD, offering a potential approach to curbing the suicide epidemic among veterans.4 The task force is responsible for providing legislative advice on “legal, medical and policy issues related to the legalization of psychedelic medicine in the state.”3
2. Protecting patient freedom in choosing health care: abortion, gender reassignment care
Walz has consistently supported policies that protect people’s freedom to make decisions about their health care, particularly with regard to reproductive rights and gender-equitable care.
“I am so pro-choice that Nancy Pelosi asked me if I should back off a little,” Walz told the crowd at his 2018 campaign rally when he was running for governor.5 “I stand behind Planned Parenthood and we will not do this!”
Within one year of the Supreme Court’s annulment Roe v. WadeWalz took action to protect health care providers in Minnesota, where abortion remains legal, as well as to protect those who come to Minnesota to have an abortion by signing legislation to do so.6 The Reproductive Freedom Defense Act protects medical professionals and patients from legal attacks and criminal penalties in other states, regardless of their own state’s abortion policies.
“Today, we are protecting the rights of Minnesotans and ensuring our state remains a place where people have the freedom to receive the care they need to live fulfilling lives,” Walz said in a statement.
On the same day, his signature would prohibit psychologists from performing conversion therapy on vulnerable adults and patients under the age of 18. This bill also prohibits misleading or deceptive advertising methods for conversion therapy.
The third bill he signed protects those seeking or providing gender-affirming health care in Minnesota. Specifically, it prohibits state courts or agencies from processing child abduction requests, extraditions, arrests, or subpoenas related to gender-affirming health care in the state.
3. Expanding access to affordable healthcare and reducing medical debt
Walz has been instrumental in improving access to and affordability of health care in Minnesota.7 At 3.8%, Minnesota’s uninsured rate is also well below the national average of 7.7%, which Walz achieved by making it easier for the state’s eligible residents to get insurance. MNsure, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, has attracted a record number of Minnesotans to private health insurance.
Walz also signed legislation that reduces the burden of medical debt on state residents through a number of protections, including preventing medical debt from affecting credit scores, preventing the transfer of medical debt to a patient’s spouse, and creating strong protections against unethical practices in medical debt collection.8
4. Improving environmental health and safety
Through a combination of policy initiatives and collaborative efforts, environmental health and safety in Minnesota is a priority for Walz.9 Under his leadership, the state has enacted stricter regulations on pollutants, with a focus on reducing air and water pollution to protect public health. He has been a champion of the Clean Cars Minnesota initiative, which aims to reduce vehicle emissions and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, which not only improves air quality but also mitigates the effects of climate change. Recognizing the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by marginalized communities, he supported measures to ensure environmental justice by directing resources and attention to the areas most affected by pollution. In addition, Walz’s administration has prioritized the cleanup of contaminated sites, often referred to as brownfields, to reduce health risks and revitalize local economies.
5. Reduce the cost of prescription drugs and increase transparency
The governor has taken significant steps to reduce prescription drug costs and improve insulin affordability in Minnesota. Recognizing the financial burden that high drug prices place on families, Walz championed legislation aimed at capping out-of-pocket costs for insulin, making Minnesota one of the first states to enact such a law.10 The Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act, named after a young Minnesota man who tragically died due to insulin rationing, was a major achievement under his leadership. This law requires pharmaceutical companies to provide emergency supplies of insulin to those in need at little or no cost, ensuring that no one goes without this life-saving medicine.
In addition, Walz supports broader efforts to control prescription drug prices by advocating for state-level reforms that increase transparency in drug pricing and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for unjustified price increases.11 His commitment to lowering drug costs is part of a broader strategy to make health care more accessible and affordable for all Minnesotans, especially those with chronic conditions that require long-term drug treatment.
References
1. Remarks by Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz at a campaign event. Press release. The White House. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/08/06/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-and-governor-tim-walz-at-a-campaign-event/
2. Governor Walz signs mental health bill. New release. Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. June 2, 2022. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=1055-529893
3. Section 99: Psychedelic Medicine Working Group. Minnesota Session Laws (2023). Retrieved August 8, 2024. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/Session+Law/Chapter/70/#laws.4.99.0
4. Grossi G. Bipartisan letter to President Biden highlights promise of MDMA therapy for PTSD. AJMC®. August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024. https://www.ajmc.com/view/bipartisan-letter-to-president-biden-highlights-promise-of-mdma-therapy-for-ptsd
5. Harris J. Tim Walz’s progressive record is so extreme that Nancy Pelosi asked him to “tone down a bit.” The Western Journal. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/tim-walz-progressive-record-is-so-extreme-nancy-pelosi-asked-him-to-tone-it-down/ar- AA1ooZ0g
6. Photos: Governor Walz signs three bills protecting the rights of Minnesota citizens. Press release. Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. April 27, 2023. Retrieved August 8, 2024. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=1055-575115
7. Cohen JP. Vice President Walz’s health care policies align with Harris’ record. Forbes. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 8, 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2024/08/06/vp-pick-walzs-healthcare-policies-align-with-harris/
8. Governor Walz and Lieutenant Governor Flanagan celebrate historic climate change legislation in Minnesota. Press release. Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. May 31, 2023. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=579538
9. Governor Walz ceremoniously signs legislation to help Minnesotans with the burden of medical debt. Press release. Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. June 17, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=1055-627879
10. Governor Walz signs Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act. New release. Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. April 15, 2020. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/?id=1055-428439
11. Governor Walz Announces Prescription Drug Cost Transparency Actions. Press release. Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan. June 26, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/press-releases/#/list/appId/1/filterType/searchkeyword/filterValue/drug%20task%20force/page/1/sort//order/
