Minnesota"s Forgotten Health Insurance Law

Here"s an interesting bit of insurance news…

Recently, Minnesota health officials and state lawmakers discovered a forgotten law that was supposed to help migrant workers get health insurance.

The law was passed in 1971 and required that any employer who recruited five or more migrant workers must also provide them health coverage. Unfortunately, no one knew (or remembered) the law existed. And there were never any rules written to enforce or implement the law, reported the Star Tribune. 

“When we found out about it, we were baffled,” said spokesperson for the Labor Department, James Honerman.

State Representative Karen Clark, a former public health nurse, guessed the law was passed to help the migrant workers who come to Minnesota to work harvest jobs. Many need medical care for skin and respiratory conditions from exposure to agricultural chemicals. Many also suffered from diabetes and stress-related health problems from working long hours.