[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6650759,"mediaKeyId","2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80","parentId",2503499,"title","Senate bill would create work group to set standards for health care interpreters","audioSeconds",1229,"startMs",5371000,"endMs",6600000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80&start=5371&end=6600","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80/thumbnail_5371000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6650759/Minnesota/Senate-bill-would-create-work-group-to-set-standards-for-health-care-interpreters","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650759-7b19abd9cf0a31fd8f5a965b626ac4a7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770868894&Signature=Y1JM2NRc4Y7qV4t2rSQ4Tx7kTiNdfYrWZM6bTCdIYJKWyf0ode27kPC69SXZMdU0b-3XXtQAqxr2mLogTBWyDEPXwbCN1nEWOoubxzJ4OfCqBGeii8yE6Ow8vVxSHVOj9an73~zgMkgXHN1lWgBdmMguT-Rv2wN2Zr74odcghluk8Q9MyF1usxZAC8H~qFdGRn~SBK6nMMdpAz74aVVPzF8w3pB~FWQOioHodKGOGjKfGKZGtCZAqFZZWHYIi7qh4ShScTC8tX5b-uraehNt6-6p-qW2o4oE5KvJqu1zIFOOhWhNsfjbd~mHPACuvDFfK7ZUEraGOoypjasbYI9yrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-03-05T16:53:52.373Z","article","Senator Wicklund introduced Senate File 2043, which would create a spoken-language health care interpreter services work group to assess workforce shortages, training and certification requirements, reimbursement structures, and rural access barriers. The Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee recommended the bill pass and re-referred it to the Committee on State and Local Government.

Proponents described inconsistent interpreter quality and gaps in access, especially in rural areas, and urged a stakeholder-driven process to build minimum educational requirements and career pathways. Rosa Tak, executive director of the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, told the committee that limited-English proficient patients can face significant hurdles interacting with the health system and that trained interpreters improve outcomes and reduce overall costs. \"The need for professional and high-skill interpreters will continue to be needed,\" Tak said.

Clinical perspective: Dr. Tali Vang, vice president of health equity at Hennepin Healthcare, testified that mistrained interpreters have caused harm in sensitive encounters, citing a patient who nearly discontinued therapy after an interpreter used inappropriate language. \"A trained medical interpreter would know how to navigate these sensitivities using culturally appropriate terminology while ensuring accurate, respectful, and effective communication,\" Vang said.

Interpreter representatives: Yvonne Narayza, president of the Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association, urged the work group to assess minimum educational requirements and to develop recommendations to create consistent, statewide standards and career ladders for interpreters.

Committee action and next steps: Senator Wicklund moved the author's amendment, which was adopted by voice vote, and the committee recommended passage and re-referral to State and Local Government. Members encouraged rigorous public input and specified goals for the work group to produce actionable recommendations the Legislature could adopt in future sessions.

Ending note: The bill establishes a formal process for state policymakers, clinicians and interpreter professionals to propose standards intended to increase patient safety, improve provider confidence and grow the interpreter workforce across Minnesota.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Health and Human Services - 03/05/25","oneSentenceSummary","Senate File 2043 would establish a spoken-language health care interpreter work group to recommend standards for training, certification, reimbursement and workforce development to improve access to qualified interpreters statewide; the committee recommended the bill pass and re-referred it to State and Local Government.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650764,"Committee approves bill to create Office of Patient Protection for insurance denials, refers it to Commerce",1405,3952000,5357000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80&start=3952&end=5357","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80/thumbnail_3952000.jpg","/articles/6650764/Minnesota/Committee-approves-bill-to-create-Office-of-Patient-Protection-for-insurance-denials-refers-it-to-Commerce","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650764-c7a8cd71452f9a7fb68aeae3feab3024/orig.mp4?Expires=1770868894&Signature=LQlN6aHclmRhTf5d-arFm3VKZXOYJDWFkMb9g7YEI6xZ~07F3-l4m45Q~TwGZrVLh2tshb7Kg58Iy~Rx2N8EMjQcKHFb0yPjqHG0UEbAjMhVfF~gjCYG6uMP-HIDYAnIdgjqUCQfwHc2fVHfhaos5k5fJWtP-~DjsWd4pOiPd5es6VeA7QADzLdYCr-WznN8ypdI3Tn0HXAQKLQlyVHpq2WDH6AvPzqFpIQ0m4PpUL5CsQqntVhgwSr1fndyh07Yk0CU028EaAtU-7xdnx0PnZKrDr6VD0Rw1gldjmz0OFnY~1LXJNppN-aSsfsv-ty7bUb-9oEz1lPg7FwmbqCKLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Port presented Senate File 1567 to the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, describing widespread problems with claim denials, opaque appeals, and the difficulty patients face when insurance or pharmacy benefit managers withhold or delay coverage. The committee voted to recommend the bill pass and referred it to the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

The bill would establish an Office of Patient Protection to serve as a one-stop resource for Minnesotans seeking help with denied claims, to help patients and providers contest decisions, and to collect data to guide legislative fixes. Senator Port said oversight of complaints is currently scattered among the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services and the attorney general's office.

Testimony and personal stories: Tricia Harms described near-fatal delays her mother experienced because of insurance restrictions and shipping requirements to receive a high-cost medication. \"My mom went into ketoacidosis...By sheer luck, an on-call nurse in the ER recognized her from the diabetes clinic and acted immediately,\" Harms testified, urging legislators to prevent such outcomes. Dr. Bridgette Keller, a physician and parent, recounted long appeals and denials that forced her child out of a treatment program despite recommendations from the psychiatric team.

Senator Port framed the office as a resource to simplify appeals, collect actionable data on denials and administrative barriers, and provide staff assistance to patients who lack the time, language skills or knowledge to navigate complex processes. Witnesses pointed to models in other states, including Connecticut's Office of the Healthcare Advocate, and noted similar proposals elsewhere.

Committee action: Senator Port moved that Senate File 1567 be recommended to pass and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection. The committee voice vote succeeded and the bill was passed by the committee for referral.

Ending note: The bill now moves to the Commerce committee for further consideration; proponents urged the Legislature to build a statewide, centralized resource to help patients obtain coverage they pay for and to gather data on systemic denial patterns.","Senate File 1567 would create an Office of Patient Protection to help Minnesotans navigate insurance denials and collect data on systemic problems. The Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee recommended passage and referred the bill to the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6650769,"Senator Marty presents bill to replace Medicaid managed care with direct provider payments",2887,1001000,3888000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80&start=1001&end=3888","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2503499-d30a5a39d8a9f2f97c304ee4016bdb80/thumbnail_1001000.jpg","/articles/6650769/Minnesota/Senator-Marty-presents-bill-to-replace-Medicaid-managed-care-with-direct-provider-payments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6650769-0eee4aaac53278996ec23f81f45db297/orig.mp4?Expires=1770868894&Signature=hOsrNlYdhV4ULSzZnAB6FVPJEpriESJh~-rVa15o7MPxRWWIBQ0PRCRJ76XnCj2BiXQ-XRiqgx~hI4xj2oFQrKlrpJt0zJGcTPDnNVG69SgnLnbUO~BlhQrX00anLaZA0loopDkXwELD9cdyZ2eq2fqiun7Z0nBMizdTz2zoQx3MzUC7FKIy129bxfnQc20gOoMtuW7~Nar9iljhV0PGfXSpBTiW2L7fD8dSNJ-bcusAODurg8Y8gScTYrwLSYsnSbpx5oQ6LBjAT6mSb9n8WHSqOy1RaVwsT0~JyBIW3dZY9VKJqPH9bSvhd5rv3Ohn-DPbpY0TqioJJqhNhhR98Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Marty presented Senate File 1059, a proposal he labeled “patient-centered care,” to the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, arguing the bill would end the state's managed-care contracts for Medicaid and MinnesotaCare and instead pay clinics, providers and hospitals directly for services while adding modest monthly care-coordination payments to primary-care providers.

The bill's author told the committee the plan would continue county-based purchasing in counties that already use it, let other counties choose whether to participate, and direct some savings toward community outreach and hiring community health workers. \"We would not renew managed-care contracts when they expire,\" Senator Marty said during his presentation. He asked the Department of Human Services to consider the proposal as one alternate delivery model in a statutorily directed review due to the Legislature next year.

Why it matters: Marty said the managed-care middleman is costly and can delay or deny care through prior authorization and narrow networks. He cited an article reporting large earnings by nonprofit health plans on public programs and argued simplifying payments could reduce administrative waste and improve access. Supporters and opponents disagreed sharply on whether replacing managed care would improve outcomes or reduce costs.

Supporters' testimony: Sonia Batauldin, a nurse midwife with three decades of community practice, described how frequent plan changes and complex PMAP (prepaid medical assistance program) rules create gaps in care and consume clinic staff time. \"As proposed in Senator Marty's bill, if we could take some of the repurposed dollars from PMAP spending and direct them to the boots on the ground community health workers and health navigators in the clinic, Minnesotans could receive much more valuable support at the point of care,\" Batauldin said, describing examples including medication gaps, disrupted prenatal care and staff time spent on prior authorizations.

Opposition and caution: Chelsea Olsen of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans and Joel Uland, vice president of public affairs at UCare, urged caution. Olsen said the Department of Human Services is studying alternate delivery models and the committee should wait for that report, due Jan. 15, 2026. Uland said Minnesota's nonprofit managed-care model includes financial controls and community investments that would be hard to replicate. He noted statutory limits on managed-care administrative expenses and ongoing audits and monitoring by state and federal entities.

Committee discussion and next steps: Committee members voiced a range of concerns, including whether DHS could scale to administer direct payments for more than a million enrollees, how savings would be realized and distributed, and the potential effect on county-based purchasing models. Multiple senators said they support further study rather than immediate action. The chair laid Senate File 1059 over for continued consideration and noted DHS's ongoing vendor study of alternative models.

Ending note: The bill was presented for discussion and placed on hold; no final vote on adoption or referrals occurred during the hearing. The author urged DHS to include this proposal among the alternative models the department is required to examine.","Senate File 1059, presented to the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, would end use of managed care organizations for Medicaid and MinnesotaCare and pay clinics and providers directly while funding primary-care coordination and community outreach from savings. The committee laid the bill over for further study.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate bill would create work group to set standards for health care interpreters

Committee approves bill to create Office of Patient Protection for insurance denials, refers it to Commerce

Senator Marty presents bill to replace Medicaid managed care with direct provider payments