Disability Pride Month: Celebrating Equality and Fighting for FairnessDisability Pride Month: Celebrating Equality and Fighting for Fairness Editor’s Note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local comments online and in print every day. Introduction: Thirty-four years ago, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) marked a significant step forward in the fight for equality for all Americans. While progress has been made, true equality and fairness remain unfinished goals. Health Disparities and Barriers to Accessibility: A recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified people with disabilities as a population with health disparities. Barriers in infrastructure, practices, programs, and policies create discrimination and exclusion, preventing people with disabilities from accessing healthcare and leading full lives. Minnesota’s Progress and Investment: As chair of the Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee, Senator John Hoffman highlights the committee’s accomplishments in reducing barriers for Minnesotans with disabilities. Investments in healthcare and services support their independence, growth, and community involvement. MA-EPD Reforms: The Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) Program has been a barrier to employment for individuals with disabilities. The Senate Human Services Committee has eliminated asset limits and simplified processes, but more reforms are needed. Eliminating MA-EPD Premiums: Senator Hoffman emphasizes the importance of eliminating MA-EPD premiums to break down the final barrier faced by enrollees. Legislation co-authored by Senator Hoffman and others aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities can maintain their independence and professional success without sacrificing their health. Renewing the Commitment to Equality: In celebration of Disability Pride Month, Hoffman calls for a renewed commitment to fighting for true equality and fairness. Together, we can build a future where every Minnesotan has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their abilities.
Editor’s Note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local comments online and in print every day. To contribute, click here.
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Thirty-four years ago this month, we took a major step forward in the fight for equality for all Americans with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Passed on July 26, 1990, the ADA has brought remarkable changes to the lives of millions of Americans in the disability community.
Since then, we have declared every July as Disability Pride Month. This is a time for us to celebrate those in the disability community—our families, friends, and neighbors—and recognize the incredible contributions they make every day around the world. Over the past 34 years, our country and state have made significant progress, but true equality and fairness remain unfinished goals.
A recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified people with disabilities as a population with health disparities. According to the report, people with disabilities “experience health conditions that lead to poorer health and shorter lifespans” because of the infrastructure that has been built into our society. These barriers to equity and good health are not only caused by inaccessible buildings. The NIH report emphasizes that there are also barriers embedded in our “practices, programs, and policies” that result in discrimination and exclusion from the systems designed to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.
These types of barriers are not as obvious as a front door with only a staircase to get in. Yet they are embedded in the daily lives of people with disabilities and prevent some people from having the same opportunities as others. This is unacceptable and we must change it.
As chair of the Minnesota Senate Human Services Committee, I am proud of the work our committee has accomplished over the past two years. Working together in a bipartisan manner, we have taken numerous important steps to reduce or eliminate every type of barrier that prevents Minnesotans with disabilities from living full lives in their homes and communities.
In 2023, our Human Services budget included the largest investment in state history in health care and services that support Minnesota’s disability community. Our budget valued person-centered programs and marked the beginning of the state’s recognition that this sector deserves significant investment. We expanded access to services to help more Minnesotans get the care they need and made real improvements in people’s ability to remain independent through grants and policy changes that help children grow up with loved ones and go to school, and help people live in the environment and community of their choice.
One of our top priorities is to ensure that every Minnesotan does not have to choose between their job and their health. Imagine being too successful in a job and having it threaten your ability to maintain the care that makes your success possible. This is the unfortunate reality that many Minnesotans face in the Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) Program.
MA-EPD is a program for people who need care and services, such as personal care assistants and specialized equipment, that traditional employer health insurance doesn’t cover. For years, this program has included asset limits and bureaucratic hurdles that burdened plan members with tedious administrative tasks and added premiums on top of their existing health care costs. These requirements have placed an additional burden on people with disabilities and made a mockery of our supposed progress in fighting inequality.
That’s why addressing this barrier to equity is a priority for the Senate Human Services Committee. In our 2023 budget, we eliminated the $20,000 asset limit for people in this program. In 2024, we built on our progress by streamlining premium assessments and simplifying processes for participants. This is undeniable progress, but it’s not enough.
There is bipartisan legislation and energy from advocates and lawmakers to break down the last barrier that people who enroll in MA-EPD face: the premiums that enrollees pay to stay healthy and keep their jobs. Senator Erin Maye Quade has legislation to remove the costly barrier of paying MA-EPD premiums. It is a bipartisan proposal co-authored by our ranking Republican committee member, Senator Jim Abeler, our committee vice chair; Senator Omar Fateh, and I. In 2025, the Legislature has the opportunity to pass Maye Quade’s legislation that promises that Minnesotans with disabilities in MA-EPD will not have to sacrifice their independence to achieve professional success by eliminating exorbitant MA-EPD premiums. It is a top priority of mine to remove all of the barriers built into our system that continue to create health disparities for people with disabilities, and MA-EPD premiums are one of those barriers that must be reformed.
As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, let’s renew our commitment to fighting for true equality and fairness for all. Together, we can build a future where every Minnesotan, regardless of ability, has the chance to thrive.
John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, is a member of the Minnesota Senate and chairman of the Senate Human Services Committee.
