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Insurers and hospitals oppose pharmacy carve‑out and HMO surcharge; back audio‑only telehealth extension
Summary
The Minnesota Council of Health Plans and the Minnesota Hospital Association warned the House committee that carving pharmacy and non‑emergency medical transport benefits out of managed care and doubling the HMO surcharge would raise costs for enrollees and complicate care coordination; hospitals supported extending audio‑only telehealth.
Health insurers and hospitals told the House Health and Human Services Finance Policy Committee they oppose two governor’s budget proposals — a pharmacy carve‑out from managed care and an increase in the HMO surcharge — and urged legislators to avoid changes that would undermine care coordination or raise premiums.
"Adding additional taxes to insurance increases the cost paid by enrollees and small businesses," Chelsea Olsen of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans told the committee, describing a proposal to double the HMO surcharge from 0.6%…
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