ROCHESTER — Health care is big business in southern Minnesota, where current governor and now vice presidential candidate Tim Walz got his start in politics. But what is Walz's record on health care-related matters? As Minnesota's governor since 2019, Walz has advanced many DFL initiatives, from providing free lunches in public schools to legalizing recreational cannabis use. He also oversaw the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd's murder at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
In his first speech after being sworn in as governor, Walz spoke about health care access and affordability as priority items for his administration. "We must also reaffirm our Minnesotan value that health care is a basic human right," Walz said. "As Minnesotans, we can figure out how to deliver health care more effectively, more affordably and with better results.
" As Walz rises to the national stage as the potential future vice president, here's a look at his record on health care policy. Following the U.S.
Supreme Court's June 2022 ruling that overturned the federal right to abortion, Walz issued an executive order protecting the right to abortion services in Minnesota, particularly for patients traveling from other states, such as North Dakota and South Dakota, which restricted or banned access to abortion care. Abortion is legal under the Minnesota Constitution, but in January 2023, Walz signed a bill that codified abortion access.