"After 17 years tracking Minnesota's health trends through the state Health Access Survey, University of Minnesota researcher Kathleen Call thought she had found a reason to celebrate in some otherwise dismal results released earlier this week.

In 2011, for the first time, American Indians -- who lag behind white Minnesotans in a wide range of important health indicators -- showed a sharp increase in health insurance coverage and were no longer uninsured at a significantly higher rate than Minnesotans overall.

Her findings came in a biennial report by the U and the Minnesota Department of Health, which found that high numbers of Minnesotans remained uninsured last year, despite two years of recovery from the Great Recession."

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Health beat: When rise in health coverage isn't good (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 3/9)