March 27, 2025
On March 25, the federal government announced cuts of $11.4 billion in COVID-19 related grants nationwide.
In Minnesota, the impact is a loss of approximately $226 million in funding to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), approximately 25% of its current budget. Although a large proportion of the funds were scheduled to expire in July 2026, Commissioner of Health Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD, indicated, on MPR’s Minnesota Now program, that planning and preparation underway to adapt to that “cliff” has been disrupted.
“Abrupt terminations of grants and contracts is unprecedented and will impact our work and that of our partners,” Cunningham said. “Every dollar rescinded had been thoroughly reviewed and approved for its intended purpose by the federal government.”
One specific casualty of the cuts is the MDH Prep Alliance Project, an initiative advocated for by the MMA, which was aimed at documenting challenges faced by physicians and other healthcare professionals during the pandemic that could help inform improved medical-public health collaboration in future public health emergencies.
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.