MinnesotaCare MinnesotaCare is the state's health insurance program for Minnesota residents who don't have access to affordable health care coverage. MinnesotaCare has been critical to Minnesota's welfare reform strategy, because it has enabled people to leave welfare and go to work without losing health care coverage. The average monthly MinnesotaCare enrollment in 1999 was 107,000. More than half of enrollees are children. All MinnesotaCare enrollees are on managed care.
Some counties now have local enrollment centers.
This is different from Medicare, the federally funded health insurance program for people who are over 65 or have certain disabilities. More than 75 percent of DHS' budget is devoted to the three health care programs.