Health and Human Services

This bill removes a requirement for the Minnesota Health Care Programs Board to submit annual reports to state legislative committees about agreements made with other state agencies. The change directly affects the Board's administrative reporting obligations while keeping its duty to establish and maintain agreements with agencies like the Department of Human Services and the commissioners of commerce and health. Under the new provisions, the Board will continue to create interagency agreements for cost allocation, MNsure certification enforcement, and fund transfers, but will no longer need to provide detailed summaries of these agreements to legislators. The bill also preserves existing consultation requirements with commissioners of commerce and health, as well as with Indian tribes and organizations regarding MNsure operations.

This bill modifies training requirements for child care providers in Minnesota to better address abusive head trauma prevention. It directly affects directors, staff, substitutes, volunteers, and caregivers working with children under school age in licensed child care programs. The key changes require interactive training sessions of at least 30 minutes that cover shaking risks, prevention methods, and parent communication, rather than passive learning methods like reading or watching videos alone. The bill also establishes a video presentation resource for training and sets an effective date of January 1, 2027, for these new requirements.

This bill establishes a price cap for specific prescription drugs in Minnesota that are subject to federal Medicare drug price negotiation. It requires drug manufacturers to sell these medications at no more than the maximum fair price set by the federal government, while also mandating that health plans and pharmacy benefit managers reimburse pharmacies at least the higher of that federal price or the national average drug acquisition cost. The legislation includes a reporting requirement for financial details related to drug dispensing and imposes penalties on manufacturers that try to avoid these price limits by removing drugs from the market. These rules are designed to take effect on January 1, 2027, and directly impact pharmaceutical companies, health insurers, pharmacy benefit managers, and pharmacies operating within the state.

SF 962 clarifies the scope of practice for licensed athletic trainers in Minnesota. It defines "athletic training" to include specific actions like injury prevention, emergency care, assessment, rehabilitation, and wellness promotion, performed within the trainer's expertise. The bill requires athletic trainers to work under a primary physician's direction, establish annual treatment protocols with the physician, and limits initial independent treatment of athletes to 30 days (or less as specified by the physician). It also clarifies that athletic trainers cannot practice medicine, physical therapy, or other licensed health professions without the appropriate additional license. This directly affects licensed athletic trainers, primary physicians, and healthcare facilities employing them.

This bill adjusts the forecasted program budgets for Minnesota's Department of Human Services and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It modifies existing appropriation amounts from the general fund and the Health Care Access Fund to reflect updated financial projections for various programs. The changes specifically affect funding levels for services including general assistance, housing support, MinnesotaCare, and medical assistance. The legislation provides updated budget figures to guide how these state agencies allocate resources in the coming years.