The economic recession, whether it is over or not, has pushed record numbers of Minnesotans into state-subsidized welfare and health insurance programs, according to figures published this week by the Department of Human Services.
The number of Minnesotans eligible for Medical Assistance, the state's version of Medicaid, climbed to 610,000 in an average month in fiscal 2010, compared with 557,000 on average in 2009. That is the largest one-year increase in at least the past decade and represents more than one in 10 Minnesotans.