Medica eliminating another 250 jobs as it exits state contract

Minnetonka-based Medica is eliminating another 250 jobs following its decision last year to drop a major state contract for managing care in public health insurance programs.

It was the second and final round of layoffs, the health insurer said, stemming largely from its pullback in the Medicaid and MinnesotaCare programs, which primarily serve lower-income state residents.

Medica let 100 workers go in January, bringing the overall impact to 350 positions — about 20 percent of the health insurer's workforce as of December.

Medica currently serves as the HMO for more than 300,000 people in state public programs, most of whom are switching to a new health plan effective Monday. In 2015, the state saw a similarly large enrollment shift as Minneapolis-based UCare's role in the programs was significantly downsized, prompting the HMO to eliminate 250 jobs.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/medica-eliminating-another-250-jobs-as-it-exits-state-contract/420620033/