News Release
Sept. 3, 2025
Center for Health Care Affordability launches first task force
The Center for Health Care Affordability (CHCA) at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is announcing the formation of the Health Care Affordability Advisory Task Force. The 15-member task force, which will hold its first meeting on Friday, Sept. 12, is charged with studying and recommending strong actions to improve health care affordability in Minnesota.
“Health care costs continue to rise faster than wages, and that is creating real challenges for Minnesotans—whether as taxpayers, patients, employers or lawmakers,” said CHCA Director Alex Caldwell. “This work is a critical step in building a shared understanding of what’s driving that spending growth and identifying practical strategies to ensure health care remains affordable for Minnesota’s families, workers and businesses.”
The Health Care Affordability Advisory Task Force represents a balance of perspectives, including consumer voices, expertise in health care financing and administration, firsthand experience with affordability challenges and leadership from both urban and rural parts of the state. It is tasked with identifying the key drivers of health care spending growth and developing bold, evidence-based policy options to improve affordability for Minnesotans.
In developing its recommendations, task force members will analyze Minnesota health care cost data, review national and state policy research as well as elevate the lived experiences of patients, workers and employers across the state. Task force members will also examine policies implemented in other states. They will look at impacts of those policies—including efforts to limit price growth, ensure equal payments for the same service regardless of care setting or increase oversight of health care consolidation—and consider whether these strategies could improve affordability for Minnesotans.
Recognizing that rising health care costs are potentially putting care out of reach, the Minnesota Legislature directed MDH to establish CHCA during its 2023 session (Minnesota Statutes 62J.312) with the goal of analyzing cost drivers, engaging with the public and convening advisory bodies to identify and implement solutions to make health care more accessible for all Minnesotans.
CHCA's work will focus on:
- Conducting research to understand the factors that drive health care costs.
- Exploring ways to reduce waste and low-value care, administrative spending and improve the delivery of high-value care.
- Consider the sustainability of health care spending growth and its relationship to health equity.
- Identify potential improvements to delivery systems, payment structures and market reforms to enhance affordability.
The Health Care Affordability Advisory Task Force is the first of two task forces that will be advising CHCA. It will work in close collaboration with a Provider and Payer Advisory Task Force forming later this year. All task force meetings are open to the public and accessible online.
Please visit the Health Care Affordability Advisory Task Force webpage for meeting times, locations, registration links, agendas and materials as well as additional task force information. More information about the task force is available in the Health Care Affordability Advisory Task Force Charter (PDF).
-MDH-
Media inquiries:
Andrea Ahneman
MDH Communications
651-201-5195
andrea.ahneman@state.mn.us