February 24, 2022
A bill that addresses tobacco-related health disparities and supports Minnesotans who want to quit tobacco passed out of the House Preventive Health Policy Division on February 23. The MMA has been a long-time advocate for tobacco cessation legislation.
The legislation (HF3153, Rep. Kelly Morrison, MD, DFL-Deephaven) expands Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare coverage for tobacco and nicotine cessation services to include both individual and group education and counseling services, telephone cessation services, and coverage for all FDA approved prescription and over-the-counter pharmacotherapy. It also prohibits limits to the frequency of these services, and prohibits the use of prior authorization for these services.
Emily Myatt of the American Cancer Society, Kavita Prasad, MD, from the Zumbro Valley Health Center, and Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI-Minnesota, testified in strong support of the bill, along with other members of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation, of which the MMA is a member.
The bill was re-referred to the House Health Finance and Policy Committee.
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.