As we move into the eleventh week of the legislative session, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) lobbyist Megan Verdeja breaks down what’s happening at the Minnesota State Capitol, provides an update on health care bills and shares what to expect next in the legislative session.
LEGISLATIVE DEADLINES REACHED
We came to the end of the legislature’s third deadline last week, which means all bills with a fiscal impact in each committee needed to be voted out and sent to the Finance Committee in the Senate and the Ways and Means Committee in the House. Most omnibus bills made that deadline, but the House Health Committee sent a shell bill to the Ways and Means Committee and will come back after break to fill in the details. The co-chairs for the House Health Committee, Representative Backer (GOP) and Representative Bierman (DFL) were unable to reach a resolution and are waiting for House leadership to make decisions before they can move forward. As a reminder, because the House is tied 67-67, each budget bill in the House must have bipartisan support to pass out of this final committee stop.
SENATE HHS OMNIBUS BILL PROGRESS
On the Senate side, the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee unveiled its omnibus budget bill last week and passed it out of committee to the Finance Committee. The omnibus bill includes many of the MAFP’s priorities.
Bill Language:
MAFP PRIORITY UPDATES IN THE SENATE HHS OMNIBUS
MA Rate Reimbursement
The bill containing an assessment on Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to fund higher Medical Assistance (MA) rate reimbursement levels was included in the Senate HHS omnibus bill, which is making its way through the legislative process mentioned above. Over in the House, a similar bill was heard in the Human Services Committee; it did not include the assessment but instead funded the increased reimbursement through an appropriation from the state’s General Fund. This provision was not included in the House’s Human Services omnibus bill. There is still a chance it could get picked up in the House Health omnibus bill, although that is less likely. Since it is included in the Senate version, the bill will be part of conference committee negotiations between the House and Senate.
Mid-Year Formulary Changes
The bill restricting mid-year formulary changes was also included in the Senate HHS omnibus bill. We are still awaiting release of the House Health bill but hope to see its inclusion there as well. If it is not included, this will be another topic negotiated between the House and Senate once conference committees begin.
Audio-Only Telehealth
This bill to include audio-only telehealth as a reimbursable option was also included in the Senate HHS omnibus bill. We are still waiting to see if it will show up in the House Health bill, but it will again be part of the conference committee process.
Interpreter Access Working Group
A bill creating a workgroup to address barriers to interpreter access was included in the Senate HHS omnibus bill. Depending on whether it is included in the House Health omnibus bill, this may be another priority that will be part of the conference committee process.
Behavioral Collaborative Care Model
This bill was not included in either the Senate HHS or Human Services omnibus bills. Similarly, it was left out of the House Human Services omnibus bill. There is a small chance it could appear in the House Health omnibus bill, although that is less likely. The MAFP continues to express support for this provision in our letters to committee chairs and members.
OTHER KEY PROVISIONS IN THE SENATE HHS OMNIBUS
Since we do not have insight into the House Health omnibus bill yet, here are a few more items of interest that were included in the Senate HHS omnibus that could appear in the House bill as well:
- Restoring the 2% provider tax to pay for some of the provisions in the bill.
- Establishing medical practice licensure requirements for individuals who have practiced medicine outside the U.S. and satisfied certain requirements.
- Including metachromatic leukodystrophy in the newborn screening program.
- Requiring informed consent for sensitive examinations of an anesthetized or unconscious patient.
- Establishing licensure for certified midwives through the Board of Nursing.
- Establishing a directed pharmacy dispensing payment to improve and maintain access to pharmaceutical services.
- Mandating insurance coverage of vasectomies.
WHAT’S NEXT IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
After a short break, session resumed on April 21, 2025. Budget bills are now moving through House Ways and Means and Senate Finance before heading to floor debates. At the same time, House and Senate leadership and the Governor’s office will negotiate unified global budget targets, which we hope to see by early May 2025. These targets are essential to finalize the state budget, as all three must agree on overall spending and cuts. After the bills are passed off their respective floors, they will go to the conference committee where they will be reconciled with the new global budget targets. May 19, 2025, is the final day of the legislative session.
