Zeleznikar urges state action as transport cuts hit rural patients
A Medicaid transport crackdown has left rural patients staring at missed dialysis and therapy rides, and Zeleznikar says Lake County needs a rapid fix.
A missed ride can become a missed dialysis treatment in Lake County, and state officials are now being pressed to stop that from happening. State Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar wants Gov. Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Human Services to create a Critical Incident Command Center after a statewide Medicaid revalidation pushed some non-emergency medical transport providers out of the system. The issue surfaced in Two Harbors, where Zeleznikar met with Katie Collins of Monarch Healthcare Management, which operates Waterview Shores, as rural providers warned that paperwork delays were cutting into care.
Minnesota Revalidate 2026 began Jan. 26 and required high-risk providers to complete revalidation by May 31, after DHS said the state was facing a federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services threat to withhold up to $2 billion from Minnesota’s Medicaid program. The effort covered more than 5,800 provider sites across 13 high-risk Medicaid service areas, with DHS saying the stakes reached the 1.2 million to 1.3 million Minnesotans who rely on Medicaid. The department also said it offered weekly provider roundtables, a Provider Resource Desk, FAQs and training through the MPSE portal.
The fallout accelerated after the deadline. KARE 11 reported that DHS disenrolled 3,411 of 5,582 reviewed providers, including 2,491 notices tied to incomplete paperwork and documentation, 916 for failed site-visit verification, four for failed background studies and 59 referrals to the Office of Inspector General. Provider groups said that as of May 27, most statuses were still pending, and the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota said more than 1,000 providers had their Minnesota Health Care Programs enrollment terminated on June 1. DHS later said providers who appealed could have payment suspensions lifted during the appeals process, and it moved to lift suspensions for providers who filed appeals by June 9.
For Lake County, the question is not abstract. Residents in Two Harbors and elsewhere along the North Shore often travel long distances for dialysis, therapy and specialty appointments, and when a transport provider drops out, families can be left with no easy substitute. Zeleznikar, who has a background in nursing homes and health care, said the state needs to stop the chaos and get providers back on the road before more rural patients lose access to lifesustaining services.
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