May 22, 2025
On May 21, the MMA joined 39 other state medical associations in a joint letter to Congressional leaders strongly urging Congress to reject the $822 billion in Medicaid cuts that are included in the House Budget Reconciliation bill. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that these cuts will result in lost coverage for at least 7.6 million Americans.
“This will lead to even more crowding of emergency departments, closures of rural hospitals and community physician practices, and widespread health and economic instability,” the letter said. “Our patients’ health will suffer, the nation’s healthcare system will be in jeopardy, and health care costs will rise. Rural communities will be the hardest hit.”
While House leaders and President Trump say that they do not support cuts to Medicaid enrollees, the proposed cuts will directly impact them. It limits the ability of states to maximize federal funding, it implements cost-sharing requirements on patients who cannot afford them, and it creates administrative barriers for enrollees through new work requirements.
“Medicaid, or as we call it in Minnesota, Medical Assistance, has been proven to be a critical program to ensure that all Minnesotans can have access to needed medical care,” said MMA President Edwin Bogonko, MD, MBA. “Having our federal partner pull away from funding these programs will result in more Minnesotans not receiving the care that they need.”
The letter ended by saying, “State Medical Associations and physicians nationwide urge Congress to reject the harmful cuts to Medicaid. Instead, we encourage you to protect and strengthen Medicaid – a proven, cost-effective safety net that serves 80 million vulnerable Americans.”
May 29, 2025
As the Legislature works to complete its work on the state’s two-year budget, another deadline is looming. Legislators are required to pass a balanced budget before the end of the fiscal year—June 30, 2025. If they don’t meet that deadline, the state will begin a partial shutdown.
May 29, 2025
Registration has opened for the Empowering Physicians: A Night of Reflection and Engagement event, featuring best-selling author Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD.
May 29, 2025
The AMA is encouraging physicians to contact their U.S. senators and urge them to revise the reconciliation bill passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives. While the bill includes language that would stabilize Medicare physician payments, it also threatens to cripple Medicaid and CHIP.