Legislative Session Starts; MMA to Focus on 5 Major Issues
February 19, 2026
State lawmakers returned to St. Paul on February 17 for the second half of the 2025-2026 biennium.
Controversy Flares Up Over the Governance of Hennepin Healthcare System
April 11, 2024
Concerns have been raised over the governance of Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), also known as Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), regarding the current Hennepin Healthcare System board’s investment in nursing salaries and benefits. The medical staff at Hennepin Healthcare System has strongly opposed the allegation.
The story first appeared in an April 2 Star Tribune story in which the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) called for the disbanding of the Hennepin Healthcare System board and for the Hennepin County Board to take over control of HCMC.
Following that story, the physician leaders at HCMC sent a letter to the Hennepin County Board and to media outlets. In the letter signed by all the department heads, they said, “We are alarmed over false representations of our health system which are leading to a call for dissolution of our HHS Governing Board and removal of our CEO. These public outcries and potential actions will threaten the mission and survival of Hennepin Healthcare as a premier academic Level 1 Trauma and safety net.”
The issue has made its way to the Legislature where MNA is pursing legislation to require the Hennepin County board to approve the HCMC budget by a majority vote. It is unclear whether this bill will pass, or what the outcome of that change will have on the functioning of the Hennepin Healthcare System board.
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MMA Leaders Testify on Medicaid Cuts
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On the second day of the legislative session, MMA leadership was already advocating for one of its top priorities - minimizing the harm of federal changes to Medical Assistance (MA).
MMA Priority Bill on AI and Prior Auth Already Moving at the Capitol
February 19, 2026
Legislation to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in prior authorization requirements was heard in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee on February 19.