April 30, 2026
The MMA has signed onto an AMA letter urging federal departments to improve enforcement of the “No Surprises Act." The Act, enacted in 2022, aims to protect patients from unexpected medical bills when they unknowingly seek care from out-of-network providers.
The letter primarily concerns the “Independent Dispute Resolution” (IDR) process, which is initiated when providers and patients disagree on payments for services subject to the Act. Specifically, the letter asks federal departments to:
Stop health plans from – allegedly – increasing patient cost-sharing when IDR decisions are made in the provider’s favor (i.e., effectively forcing patients to pay the difference),
Revise June 2025 technical guidance that allows health plans broad ability to re-open closed IDR cases to delay and withhold payments to providers, and
Require health plans to (a) disclose all case information necessary to determine accurate claim eligibility under the IDR process and (b) require health plans to meaningfully participate in the IDR process through the federal portal.
The letter was sent on April 27 to the Secretaries of the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Contact Adrian Uphoff, manager of health policy and regulatory affairs, with questions.
April 30, 2026
On April 27, the House unanimously passed a bill authorizing trained pharmacists to initiate, prescribe, dispense, and administer buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder.
April 30, 2026
On April 27, the House passed a bill, with a 119-12 vote, that removes the current requirement that newly licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) complete 2,080 hours of collaborative practice with a physician as part of their postgraduate training before practicing independently.
April 30, 2026
Last November, UCare announced it would be shutting its doors in 2026, leaving many providers with outstanding claims that had not been paid out.