Legislation Limiting Mid-Year Formulary Changes Introduced at the Capitol

February 26, 2025

A bill that would limit mid-year formulary changes for patients who are currently on a medication therapy was introduced in the Minnesota Senate on February 24.  SF 1806 (Mann, DFL – Edina), an MMA priority this session, was referred to the Commerce Committee. 

Insurance companies or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) will change their formularies throughout the year for their own financial reasons. This practice is sometimes called “non-medical switching.” It forces patients to change medications that are working for them with very little notice, and will often lead to pauses or stoppages in prescribed treatments. This can lead to delays in care, unexpected and increased expenses, and overall worse health outcomes for patients. 

The legislation, which would limit how often formulary changes are allowed, was introduced last session, and was included into the Senate’s omnibus health budget bill. However, because of its large fiscal impact to the Department of Human Services (DHS) and State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP), the bill was not passed. 

“We’ve made several changes that should limit the fiscal impact to the state,” said Chad Fahning, MMA manager of state legislative affairs. “The bill is simpler, and the definitions are clearer. I think the state fiscal analysis interpreted this as a ‘frozen formulary’ bill, as seen in other states. It is not. Our bill only says that a single patient’s formulary cannot change, rather than the entire drug formulary as a whole.” 

The legislation has yet to be introduced in the Minnesota House.