May 4, 2023
A trio of MMA-supported bills on banning conversion therapy, supporting gender-affirming care and protecting reproductive care were signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz on April 27.
The first, HF 16 (Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL – St. Paul; Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL – Minneapolis), prohibits the use of so-called “conversion therapy” for individuals under the age of 18. The bill received bipartisan support in both the House and Senate floor votes. Similar legislation passed the Minnesota House in previous sessions, but never received a vote in the Senate until this year.
“There is no scientific evidence to support a need for conversion therapy since we are not dealing with pathological conditions. The concept of conversion therapy lacks scientific credibility and clinical usefulness,” argued the MMA in a letter from January.
The second bill, HF 146 (Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL – St. Paul; Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL – Apple Valley), protects transgender people and their families, from legal repercussions if they travel to Minnesota to receive gender-affirming care. The law also protects Minnesota providers who treat these patients. Specifically, the law prohibits enforcing out-of-state subpoenas, arrest warrants, and extradition requests for those from other states who came to Minnesota to receive treatment.
“Gender-affirming healthcare has been associated with reduced rates of depression and anxiety in youth, according to studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health, leading to a lowered risk of suicide among a group that experiences higher rates of death by suicide, compared to the general population,” the MMA noted in its letter of support. “Minnesota clinicians providing medically necessary care, and patients receiving such care, must be protected from out-of-state legal repercussions associated with such services.”
Lastly, HF 366 (Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL – Minneapolis; Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL – Deephaven), also known as the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act (RFDA), prevents state courts or officials from complying with extraditions, arrests, or subpoenas related to reproductive healthcare received in Minnesota. It also allows someone facing an abortion-related case against them in another state to countersue for associated costs, damages, and attorney fees.
In its letter of support, the MMA advocated for the legal protections in the RFDA: “Minnesota clinicians providing reproductive care, and patients receiving such care, must be protected from out-of-state legal repercussions associated with such services. The need for the protections offered in the RFDA are particularly important in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
All three laws are effective immediately.
October 23, 2025
The MMA, along with the University of Minnesota Medical School, will hold a virtual physician forum on November 5 at noon on “Health Professions Education and Minnesota's Rural Health Workforce.”
October 23, 2025
AMA staff have confirmed that, as of October 21, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has guided Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to lift their temporary holds on Medicare fee-for-service claims impacted by provisions that expired on October 1 – including all Medicare fee-for-service claims in Minnesota.
October 23, 2025
For the second time in eight weeks, national grief expert David J. Schonfeld, MD, FAAP, visited Minneapolis. The first trip was days after the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting when he met with school leaders to help with the healing process. He returned October 21 to revisit the school and to meet with local healthcare providers at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to offer tips on dealing with the aftermath of crisis.