Governor and Senate Put MN Seniors at Risk as Session Closes
As the 2025 legislative session comes to a close, long-term care leaders are sounding the alarm: lawmakers have failed to reach a budget agreement that protects the wellbeing of Minnesota’s growing senior population.
The Governor’s Office and Senate are proposing deep funding cuts to nursing homes that are already operating under extreme financial pressure, jeopardizing seniors’ access to essential care across the state. At the same time, long-term care settings are being asked to absorb an additional $200 million in new mandates from the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board (NHWSB)—with no plan or state funding to back them up.
“The Minnesota Senate and Governor’s Office are playing politics with the lives of real people—seniors, families, and caregivers across the state,” said Kari Thurlow, President and CEO of LeadingAge Minnesota.“Unless lawmakers act now, our state will have more nursing home closures, fewer available beds, worse staffing shortages and families left scrambling to find care.”
In contrast, senior care leaders commend the Minnesota House proposal for avoiding cuts to nursing homes and funding the NHWSB mandates. The House has taken meaningful steps to prioritize the urgent needs of older adults and strengthen the caregiving workforce they rely on.
“These aren’t just budget lines. These decisions affect our parents, our grandparents, our neighbors, who risk losing access to essential care” said Toby Pearson, President and CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota. “Especially in rural areas, the Senate and Governor’s proposed cuts may force seniors to travel long distances in search of care, ripped from the communities they’ve always called home.”
With our senior population expected to grow dramatically in the coming years, Minnesotans are counting on lawmakers to fulfill the state’s responsibility to its elders by returning to the table, rejecting harmful cuts, reforming the NHWSB and ensuring every senior has access to the care they’ve earned.
For more information, contact:
Ben Hansen, LeadingAge Minnesota
bhansen@leadingagemn.org
651-659-1443
Lisa Foss Olson, Care Providers of MN
lolson@careproviders.org
952-851-2483
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The Long-Term Care Imperative is a collaboration of LeadingAge Minnesota and Care Providers of Minnesota, two of the state’s largest long-term care associations. The Long-Term Care Imperative is committed to advancing a shared vision and future for older adult housing, health care and supportive services.
