By Pamela Mercier

The League of Women Voters of St. Paul urges its members and all Minnesotans to oppose the Medicaid and SNAP changes enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act. Our local league has studied the likely impacts of the OBBB Act on Ramsey County, and we want to raise awareness of the disastrous consequences this law will have on our county’s residents. While voter registration and outreach are the cornerstone of the League’s work, we also study and take positions on key policy issues. The League is nonpartisan, but we are not neutral on issues that deeply affect people’s lives.

The national League (LWVUS) and our Minnesota state League (LWVMN) have both proclaimed their vehement opposition to the OBBB Act. In a resource provided to League members, LWVUS wrote,

The law makes massive cuts to vital services, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly food stamps). It will make it harder for children, parents, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities to enroll in and keep the benefits they need to survive. It is estimated to leave 11.8 million more people uninsured by 2034.

To which LWVMN added,

If all the provisions of the Federal OBBB Act are enacted, the Minnesota Department of Human Services estimates that up to 253,000 Minnesotans could lose Medicaid Coverage and 45,000 could lose their SNAP food benefits.

These are drastic, damaging, and cruel cuts. The law is likely to have additional ripple effects. For example, some health clinics and hospitals, reliant on Medicaid payments, may be forced to close, especially in rural areas where healthcare access may already be limited. Some healthcare workers may lose their jobs, and homeowners may see their property taxes increase significantly. In Ramsey County, for example, the County Manager has proposed a 9.75% percent increase in property taxes in 2026 to mitigate the loss of federal funding, with another 7.5% increase set to follow in 2027. Property tax hikes are likely to occur across the state as Minnesota counties grapple with how to continue vital services. 

Our League has action recommendations for Ramsey County residents and other County residents throughout Minnesota in response to the coming harmful effects of this law.

First, get informed. Read about the law at the LWVUS website and through credible news sources. Other actions include attending County Commission meetings; engaging with County Commissioners directly; and reading your County’s OBBB Act reports. These actions may enlighten you about the deeply damaging days ahead for Medicaid and SNAP services in Minnesota.

It behooves all of us to carefully disentangle facts and disinformation about this Law. Some residents might lose their Medicaid benefits not from direct funding cuts – cuts that some representatives may claim will not happen – but from new administrative barriers to enrollment and reporting that those who are eligible may be unable to navigate.