The Health Economics Program (HEP) conducts empirical, objective research and applied policy analysis to monitor changes in the health care marketplace; to understand factors influencing health care cost, quality and access; and to provide technical assistance in the development of state health care policy.
We maintain a range of Data Resources for analysis, and publish reports, papers, issue briefs, presentations and more in our Publications library.
Learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on health care in Minnesota in Health Care Spending, Prices, and Use in Minnesota: 2017 to 2021 (PDF).
Dive into HEP's Health-Related Quality of Life: Unhealthy Days a Data Short Take (PDF) examining the number of unhealthy days taken by Minnesotans.
This report details reasons for the prolonged transfer and discharge delays experienced by mental health and substance use disorder patients who seek hospital care in Minnesota. The 14-day study included 33 emergency departments and 13 inpatient units at Minnesota hospitals and was conducted in partnership with Wilder Research. (July 2024)
This report presents administrative spending data for health insurance carriers that collected more than $3 million in total health premiums form Minnesota residents in 2020 and 2021. The report includes a summary of high-level trends, findings, and detailed tables for each eligible Minnesota group purchaser on 14 categories of administrative spending. (June 2024)
This report is the third RxPT legislative report. It presents analysis of the information reported to MDH through June 2023, provides a summary and timeline for the implementation of new work, and assess the Act's progress toward statutory goals. (May 2024)
This issue brief shares findings from the 2023 Minnesota Health Access Survey. Data show mixed results regarding health insurance coverage in the state during 2023. (April 2024)
As a responsibility under the Minnesota hospital construction moratorium, the Minnesota Department of Health conducted a public interest review for a proposal by Nobis Rehabilitation Holdings, LLC to construct a 60-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Roseville, Minnesota. The review finds that the proposal is not in the public interest; it contains MDH’s analysis, comments MDH received, and supporting information. (February 2024)
This brief relies upon data from the MN APCD and methods developed by the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) to produce population-based estimates of spending, use, and prices for medical care and prescription drugs. (November 2023)
The Minnesota Legislature passed legislation in 2023 (Minnesota Statutes, section 62J.826) which requires hospitals and certain medical and dental practices to post standard charges on their websites. This fact sheet provides information on what types of practices are impacted, the effective dates, required file format and content, and where the information should be posted. (November 2023)
This report summarizes themes from the Minnesota Department of Health's evaluation of satisfaction with the Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program; this survey assessed the satisfaction of insulin-dependent Minnesotans (i.e., participants) who used the program and pharmacists who helped to administer the program. (October 2023)
In this final report to the Minnesota Legislature, nine recommendations are shared to set MDH on a path toward further enhancing the data infrastructure required for data driven health policy making and generating applied research findings to improve access and cost of health care in Minnesota. (September 2023)
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