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Sen. Mann’s bill would require employers to disclose inhaler/insulin cost‑sharing on job postings for self‑insured plans
Summary
Senate File 22 35 would require large employers that opt out of Minnesota’s inhaler/insulin cost‑sharing protections for self‑insured plans to state that fact on job postings.
Senate File 22 35, presented March 20 by Sen. Ann Mann to the Senate Committee on Labor, would require large employers that maintain self‑insured health plans to disclose on job postings whether they do not offer the cost‑sharing protections in Minn. Stat. §62Q.481 that cap monthly out‑of‑pocket costs for insulin and inhalers.
“Mann said the bill is ‘very simple but important’: it would give job hunters with chronic conditions a quick signal about whether a large employer’s self‑insured plan complies with the state cost‑sharing protections enacted earlier,” Chair McEwen summarized for the record. Senator Mann told the committee the proposal is not a mandate on benefit design and is intended only to spare applicants the time and privacy cost of asking about coverage during an interview.
During floor discussion several senators raised concerns that the disclosure requirement could expand: Senator Lieske worried about how far mandated disclosures might extend and whether job postings could become excessively long, while Senator Gruenhagen and others asked whether employers that offer multiple plan options would be able to satisfy the requirement by noting at least one plan complies. Mann replied that employers would need only state whether they offer a plan option that complies with §62Q.
Supporters argued the proposal would protect applicants with life sustaining conditions from having to disclose sensitive medical information during interviews and would reduce wasted time for both employers and candidates. Opponents and skeptics warned of potential “slippery slope” effects if the legislature later adds further mandated disclosures about other conditions or benefits.
The committee laid Senate File 22 35 over for possible inclusion. No committee vote on final passage occurred at the hearing.
Why it matters: The bill targets transparency for workers with chronic conditions (for example, insulin‑dependent diabetes or asthma requiring daily inhalers) in job searches where employers’ self‑insured plan choices are otherwise regulated by federal ERISA law and therefore outside some state mandates.
