ST. PAUL, MN. – On Wednesday, April 29, the Senate passed SF4612, the 2026 supplemental Health and Human Services budget. The bill invests significant state funding to backfill federal budget cuts and cost shifts to counties following the passage of HR 1 at the federal level, with over 90% of spending going towards addressing this impact.
“This bill reflects the dire situation facing our state following passage of HR 1, which made significant cuts to the programs Minnesotans and our health care providers depend on,” said Sen. Rob Kupec (DFL-Moorhead), who sits on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. “While we can’t stop what the federal government did, we are responding with a bill that can help offset some of these deep cuts. This is an important bill to help Minnesotans get the care they need, shore up the finances of our rural and safety net hospitals, and help our counties that are facing significant new demands with fewer and fewer resources.”
The bill makes significant investments in direct reaction to the federal budget passed in 2025, with $700 million in spending over base levels to alleviate the impact on Minnesota’s healthcare and food security system, including:
- $115 million for hospital stabilization grants
- $45 million for county IT upgrades to support new eligibility determinations
- $34 million for county administrative and SNAP food security costs
- $17 million for safety-net provider uncompensated care
- $15 million for rural EMS provider uncompensated care
- $5 million for regional food banks
- $2.5 million for prepared meal grants (legislation chief authored by Sen. Kupec)
The bill also codifies new eligibility requirements for Medical Assistance imposed in the federal budget.
###
