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The Minnesota Star Tribune article "Insurance costs pummel seniors" (front page, Oct. 16) focused on the challenges older adults in Minnesota are facing during Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment period. The article also made reference to the work of Minnesota Aging Pathways, which is a free, statewide service of the Minnesota Board on Aging in partnership with Minnesota’s seven statewide Area Agencies on Aging.
In recent years, the board has seen demand to Minnesota Aging Pathways call centers continue to increase as people age, needs become more complex and resources become harder to find. On Oct. 6, Minnesota Aging Pathways (MAP) call centers experienced the second-highest single-day call volume (1,230) in the past five years, and this was before the start of the open enrollment period. Last week, on the first day of open enrollment Oct. 15, our call centers received more than 2,000 phone calls.
Yet the reality is that both federal and state funding for the board and its services and programs have remained mostly flat over the last few years. This is despite decades of demographic projections warning about the needs and related challenges of a growing aging population.
The time to prioritize and strategically invest in the needs of Minnesota’s older adults and their families is now. We are all aging and have loved ones who need these services either currently or in the future. We have a responsibility to uphold dignity, safety and respect for every generation. We must commit to supporting the same people who carried us and built our communities.
As Minnesota’s federally designated State Unit on Aging, the Minnesota Board on Aging’s mission includes “ensuring that older Minnesotans and their families are effectively served by state and local policies and programs, so they can age well and live well.” The board accomplishes this mission primarily by funding lower-cost home and community-based services, like homemaking and caregiver support, to prevent or delay the need for more expensive long-term care services that are typically covered by Medicaid, thus providing good value for Minnesota’s taxpayers. Key to the delivery of these services is the provision of information and assistance through Minnesota Aging Pathways to connect older adults and their families with vital, local resources to remain independent in their own homes and communities.
During the 2025 legislative session, the Minnesota Board on Aging brought forward a bipartisan funding request (SF 1789/HF 1472) to expand its own capacity and provide much-needed funding to support the MAP call centers throughout the state. The board is grateful for the legislative authors and co-authors who championed its request during the 2025 session and looks forward to working with them to bring the bill forward again in the 2026 session.
