Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee advances bill to limit mid-year formulary changes for patients on established medications
Summary
Senate File 1806 would restrict health plans from removing or changing coverage for medications that a patient is already taking mid-contract year; the committee adopted an author's amendment and recommended the bill for passage and referral to Health & Human Services with further fiscal review expected.
Senate File 1806, considered March 11 by the Minnesota Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, would limit insurers and pharmacy benefit managers from forcing patients off medications that are working for them in the middle of a plan year.
Senator Mann, the bill sponsor, said the measure is intended to prevent interruptions to patients’ care when a formulary changes mid-year. ‘‘If a patient is on a medication, they can stay on that one medication until the end of the year,’’ Mann said, adding the bill is ‘‘not a formulary freeze’’ but a patient-protection measure.
Physicians and patient advocates testified in favor. Dr. Rolly Dwivedi, president of the Minnesota…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
