Minnesota educators and lawmakers call for action on health insurance cost crisis
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CHRIS WILLIAMS
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota. March 17, 2026 – Educators from across Minnesota will join state lawmakers at a news conference at the state Capitol at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to demand a structural fix to the health insurance affordability crisis that is pushing out educators and consuming historic state investments in public education before they reach most classrooms.
“Minnesota’s school districts are small buyers in a market that rewards large ones,” said Monica Byron, president of Education Minnesota. “Every year, hundreds of school districts negotiate alone against a multi-billion-dollar insurance industry that knows exactly how much leverage it has. Educators pay for that power imbalance in higher premiums, worse coverage and impossible choices. There is a solution available to us right now, and this Legislature has the power to push it forward.”
Educators from Greater Minnesota, the Twin Cities suburbs and the metro area will describe the impact of spiraling health insurance costs on their families and on contract negotiations, including delayed medical care, deductibles that consume entire paychecks and premium increases that wipe out negotiated wage gains.
State Sen. Mary Kunesh and Rep. Liz Reyer, lead authors of legislation (SF2909/ HF2904) to create the Educator Group Insurance Program, or EGIP, will also address reporters. EGIP would consolidate health insurance purchasing for all Minnesota public school employees into a single statewide pool modeled after the existing program that covers state employees.
More than 150 educators from across the state will be at the Capitol on Wednesday, meeting with their legislators about rising health insurance costs for Minnesota educators.
What: News conference on the educator health insurance affordability crisis and the Educator Group Insurance Program.
When: 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 18
Where: State Capitol press room, Room B971, St. Paul
About Education Minnesota
Education Minnesota is the voice for professional educators and students. Education Minnesota’s members include teachers and education support professionals in Minnesota’s public school districts, faculty members at Minnesota’s community and technical colleges and University of Minnesota campuses in Duluth and Crookston, retired educators and student teachers. Education Minnesota is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO.
