Minnesota House passes health finance bill with hospital, EMS and child-care provisions; final vote 95-38

The Minnesota House on a bipartisan vote passed House File 2435, the second engrossment of the health finance bill, after several hours of floor debate and votes on amendments. The bill, presented to the House by Representative Bierman, centers on measures the authors said are intended to stabilize hospitals, expand access to care and shore up public-health and children-and-family supports. The House passed the bill as amended, 95 yeas to 38 nays.

Representative Bierman, the bill uthor and a member from Dakota, opened debate by saying the measure is "focused on delivering better health care access and meeting some of the most pressing needs of our state," citing telehealth extensions, a state-directed payment program for hospitals, and additional funding for the Minnesota Department of Health. Representative Backer, co-chair of the committee, and other committee leaders highlighted provisions aimed at Greater Minnesota hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS) and rural providers.

The bill contains a mix of policy and budget provisions. Key fiscal and program elements include: a state-directed federal payment program aimed at increasing Medical Assistance payment rates to hospitals; a single state PBM (pharmacy benefits manager) and short-term dispensing…