November 20, 2016 - MPR’s Lorna Benson reports on a Ramsey County court ruling that Minnesota's refusal to cover transition-related surgeries violates the state constitution. State lawmakers enacted the ban in 2005, selling it as a cost-saving measure, and it only applied to people receiving state Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare benefits.
May 25, 2016 - As part of MPR's “Trouble in the Water” series, MPR’s Lorna Benson reports on the replacement process of lead pipes in St. Paul’s drinking water system.
January 29, 2015 - MPR’s Lorna Benson profiles Dr. Keith Henry, who in 1985 opened the state's first HIV/AIDS clinic at a public hospital in St. Paul as AIDS and fear of AIDS patients gripped Minnesota and the world. Henry and others reflect on what has changed in the last 30 years in supporting those fighting the disease.
July 9, 2014 - As part of a series that explores health disparities among certain groups of Minnesotans and the growing importance of data to understand the causes, MPR’s Lorna Benson looks into the struggles of some in the LGBTQ community.
May 27, 2011 - MPR’s Lorna Benson presents a minute-by-minute look at how the tornado warning system in Minnesota worked during last Sunday's tornado and storms that hit hard in north Minneapolis.
February 8, 2011 - Tim Pawlenty has been touting the success of Minnesota's home-grown health reforms during his national book tour as he prepares for possible run for the presidency. The former Republican governor says the state has designed a good blueprint for reining-in costs, that the rest of the nation should follow. While it's true that Minnesota has been experimenting with new ways of paying for care, some health care observers believe it's a stretch to say that Minnesota's experiments have had much of an effect on costs at this point. We picked out two of Pawlenty's Minnesota reform claims and examined them.
January 27, 2011 - The leaders of seven large Minnesota health plans and hospital groups are floating a plan that would cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the state's Medicaid benefits, while boosting health care revenues from additional taxes on alcohol, tobacco and providers. The organizations say their idea could eliminate nearly a third of the state's $6.2 billion dollar budget shortfall. The proposal, called Minnesota's Healthcare Imperative, is already drawing fire from groups who would be affected by the suggested cuts and increased taxes. Lorna Benson reports.
March 26, 2010 - On this Midday program, a collection of reports in which MPR News explores how changing our food culture could help cure obesity.
August 5, 2009 - MPR’s Lorna Benson profiles a special little black dog named Batman. 2009 marks the one year anniversary of cancer treatment, a major milestone for the dog and University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2008, University researchers began an experimental procedure to save Batman from an aggressive brain tumor that threatened to kill him within a month.
June 19, 2009 - Congressional Democrats stumbled out of the starting blocks unveiling their healthcare reform bills today. They're struggling to find ways to pay for insuring the nation's uninsured. The House bill would create a federal plan to compete with private insurers. The Senate's proposal would create non-profit insurance co-ops that provide coverage. But, an advocacy group representing 14-thousand doctors says a "single payer" health insurance program would cover every American without adding costs.