MMA Board Approves 5 Priorities for Upcoming Legislative Session

November 9, 2023

The MMA Board of Trustees adopted five legislative priorities for the MMA at its November 4 board meeting.  

The upcoming session, which begins February 12, is the shorter, non-budget session, and will adjourn no later than May 20. A budget surplus of as high as $2 billion is expected, so budget issues will be on the table.   

DFL lawmakers continue to hold a narrow majority in both bodies (Senate 34-33, House 70-64). It is also an election year for all 134 members of the House. 

In developing the legislative priorities, the board took into account the MMA’s mission of making Minnesota the best place to practice medicine and making Minnesotans the healthiest in the nation.   

“These priorities are intended to address the problems we are hearing most from our members,” said Laurel Ries, MD, MMA president. “And top among those problems is the ongoing interference to patient care caused by prior authorization requirements.” 

The board approved the following priorities:  

• Prohibit the use of prior authorization (PA) for services where delays in care are dangerous to patient care. This includes eliminating PA for preventive services, generic drugs, outpatient cancer treatment, outpatient mental health/chemical dependency treatment, and medication-assisted treatment. In addition, the MMA will work toward limiting PA for chronic conditions to just a one-time approval, eliminating PA for value-based contracts, and eliminating PA in cases within one standard deviation of the mean of the aggregate approval rate for a service.  

• Limit mid-year formulary changes for prescription drugs. This includes ensuring that patients can't be forced to change medications until the end of their health insurance contract. It also ensures that health plans must use “real-time benefit tools” to inform practitioners of formulary changes. 

• Promote physician wellness services. This includes prohibiting asking applicants about past health issues in credentialing forms; protecting use of the SafeHaven, MMA’s new confidential, physician wellness program; and funding a public awareness campaign to encourage physicians to seek care. It also would include establishing a recognition program for hospitals and systems that promote workforce wellness. 

• Implement and fund an electronic registry for POLST (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) forms. 

• Address substance use morbidity and mortality through a public health lens by supporting the legislative work of the Harm Reduction Collaborative. This would include promoting the use of MAT in prisons, jails, and sober homes; and strengthening Minnesota’s Good Samaritan law for seeking help during a drug overdose and providing safe recovery sites.