January 11, 2024
As of January 1, Minnesota patients with rare diseases will have better access to appropriate specialists who may be out-of-network.
Last session, the Legislature passed a "network access bill” that aims to reduce the diagnostic odyssey, address health equity and improve outcomes for Minnesotans with rare diseases.
The policy is geared toward any Minnesota resident with a diagnosis of a rare disease as defined by the Genetic and Rare Disease Center list, created by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It also applies to those who:
have received two or more clinical consultations from a primary care provider or specialty provider that are specific to the presenting complaint;
and have documentation in the enrollee’s medical record of a developmental delay through standardized assessment, developmental regression, failure to thrive, or progressive multisystemic involvement;
and have had laboratory or clinical testing that failed to provide a definitive diagnosis or resulted in conflicting diagnoses.
For more information on access barriers, read the Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council's Healthcare Access Study here.
April 9, 2026
An amended piece of legislation that would exempt buprenorphine from prior authorization (PA) was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 9.
April 9, 2026
On April 9, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard a bill that would require coverage for psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) services under Medical Assistance.
April 9, 2026
On April 9, the House Taxes Committee heard legislation focused on supporting the financial stability and ongoing operations of Hennepin Healthcare.