A major theme of Sahan Journal’s health coverage in 2025 was cuts and downsizing.
From undocumented Minnesotans being barred from enrolling in a state health care program, to hospitals and clinics worried about reductions in federal Medicaid dollars on the horizon, access to health care for immigrants remained top of mind for those affected and those of us who covered it.
But while much of our health coverage was about what was at risk of being lost, there were some stories about gains — namely in the Somali community, where some took it upon themselves to break down language barriers and eliminate skepticism around topics like mental health and hospital visits.
Here are some of the biggest stories on the beat this year:
1. DACA recipients just got access to affordable health care. Now it could be rolled back.
Just weeks into President Donald Trump’s second term, avenues for access to health care for immigrant communities were already at stake. Recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program like Alejandra Rivera and Houa Chea, who relied on the Affordable Care Act for health care coverage, were at risk of losing it.
A rule instituted by the Biden administration that gave DACA recipients access to Affordable Care Act plans was set to expire, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined more than a dozen other states in court to protect it. But since this story was published, the rule has been reversed and DACA recipients are no longer eligible, resulting in the loss of health care for more than 500,000 people.
2. Minnesota lawmaker, activists raise concerns about legislation targeting undocumented immigrants
This story covered the introduction of a House bill by Republican Rep. Isaac Schultz to prohibit access to MinnesotaCare for undocumented adults. What was a story about a bill early in the legislative session flagged by critics as amplifying anti-immigrant sentiment became a preview for the eventual rollback of access to the state health care program for undocumented Minnesotans.
Months later, in June, the Legislature voted to revoke funding for the program as part of a compromise to pass the biennial state budget after it became a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans at the Capitol. The measure goes into effect in a few weeks on Jan. 1, when tens of thousands of undocumented Minnesotans will lose their health coverage.
3. More Somali therapists are entering the field, hoping to change the conversation around mental health
This story about Somali therapist Ashwak Hassan was an important one for furthering the conversation about mental health in the Somali community.
As a Somali myself, sitting down with Hassan at her office in New Brighton for an interview was illuminating. I learned all about Hassan’s brand of culturally specific mental health care and how she uses Islam to treat her patients.
4. HCMC staffer’s switch from interpreter to physician assistant bridges gap with Somali patients
Another bright spot in our coverage was of Hennepin County Medical Center physician assistant Muhiyadin Aden, former head of the hospital’s interpreter services department, who decided he wanted to do more to help treat patients and bridge the language gap between health care workers and HCMC’s Somali patients.
With photojournalist Aaron Nesheim, I spent a couple of hours one morning in the emergency room shadowing Aden, who was extremely busy but still had time for each of his patients and time to talk with us.
5. Minnesota hospitals, community clinics brace for impact of Medicaid cuts
Following the passage of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” on July 4, we started to wonder how its effects will trickle down. The bill features $1 trillion cuts to Medicaid over 10 years, the biggest in the federal program’s history, but what does that mean for larger hospitals and small local clinics alike?
What we learned was that the answer was complicated. But what wasn’t complicated was who would be affected — the most vulnerable. Visiting with Charlotte Watkins in her hospital room, speaking with her and seeing up close who is in the crosshairs with these types of policies was important for us, and readers.
