April 27, 2023
On April 26, the Minnesota House passed the omnibus health and human services budget bill that includes several of MMA’s legislative priorities on a 69-58 vote.
MMA priorities in the bill include: a two-year extension for coverage of audio-only telehealth; medical assistance (MA) coverage for recuperative care services; and an initiative to direct the Commissioner of Health to study the development of a statewide database for POLST (Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) forms.
The bill also includes broad investments in the healthcare workforce through rural residency programs and loan forgiveness programs, grant funding to address healthcare worker safety, language to repeal current statutes intended to obstruct access to reproductive healthcare services, and updates to the all-payer claims database (APCD), which the MMA supports.
The bill does not include language to prohibit insurers and pharmacy benefit manufacturers from changing the formulary of a drug during a patient’s contract year.
Since the language in the House and Senate bills are different, a conference committee will be formed to hash out the differences and develop identical language in a conference report that will then be acted on by both bodies. The conference committee, which will consist of an equal number of senators and representatives, is expected to be formed next week.
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.