February 24, 2022
The Minnesota Association of County Health Plans (MACHP) filed a lawsuit on February 17 against the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) for its 2022 Minnesota Health Care Program Procurement plan.
MACHP, which represents the three, multi-county organizations that provide Medical Assistance coverage through county-based health plans, claims that DHS is not complying with existing Minnesota state statutes that authorize these plans. These statutes give Minnesota counties the authority to choose whether to implement either a prepaid managed care or county-based purchasing (CBP) health plan. The statutes further require DHS to fund the county-based purchasing health plan while prohibiting DHS to implement a prepaid medical assistance plan (PMAP) until the CBP is no longer operational.
The three members of MACHP - Itasca Medical Care, PrimeWest Health, and South Country Health Alliance - cover nearly 83,000 Minnesotans in 22 counties in rural Minnesota.
MACHP argues that CBPs are needed in rural counties to “ensure quality affordable health care, and to best serve low-income residents.”
In its 2022 procurement plan, DHS has indicated that it will require all counties to have a PMAP plan and that they may select county-based plans if they meet additional DHS criteria.
MACHP’s lawsuit argues that DHS cannot implement PMAP plans in counties that have opted for CBPs and further, that DHS must fund those CBPs.
August 20, 2026
A physician and Olympian will give an inspirational address as part of this year's Empowering Physicians event on Friday, September 25, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
August 20, 2026
Minnesota received some disturbing news this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as data shows that for the 2025-2026 school year, vaccination rates decreased and non-medical exemptions increased.
August 20, 2026
On August 11, a federal appellate court sided with the Texas Medical Association (TMA) argument that the way the No Surprises Act’s qualifying payment amount (QPA) is calculated has historically favored payers in arbitration.