2026 Minnesota Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill

HF4466/SF4612

Passed May 2026

$660 million

Achievements:

Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) Stabilization: Emergency funding to help HCMC continue operating

Passed

HCMC will receive $205 million from general fund for the current fiscal year

$500 million reserve for HCMC and other hospitals overburdened with uncompensated care until fiscal year 2041

Establish working group to develop lung-term sustainability strategy for HCMC

Remove Previous Prior Authorization Reforms: Remove reforms enacted by the Legislature in 2024

Failed

Would have removed prior authorization reforms enacted by the Legislature in 2024 to reduce delays and obastces for patients with chronic conditions

Remove 90 day Limit on Independent Treatment by a Physical Therapist Without a Physician Referral: Remove need for physician order for continued physical therapy after 3 months.

Failed

Would have revised existing law governing practice of physical therapy. Where patient can currently self refer to a physical therapy, but need a physician’s order to continue therapy after 3 months.

Modify title of “Physician Assistant” to “Physician Associate”

Failed

Symbolic change in the title of Physician Assistants (PA) to Physician Associate, to emphasize collaboration within healthcare teams, rather than "assisting" physicians.

No change in PA scope of practice.

Remove Advanced Practice Registered Nurse(APRN) Postgraduate Collaborative Practice Requirements: Removes current requirements that newly licensed NPs / CNS complete 2,080 hours of postgraduate training within a hospital or clinic that also employs a physician.

Passed

Originally the bill removed the existing requirement that newly licensed APRNs complete 2,080 hours of collaborative practice with a physician prior to practicing independently.   

Bill was amended. The 2,080 hour post graduate supervised collaborative practice/training requirement remains.

But, the compromise now allows new graduates to work with experienced APRNs (minimum 3 years practice experience), instead of solely relying on physicians to meet the training requirement.

Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Licensure: Updates definition of acupuncture and herbal medicine. Changes licensing and administrative requirements. Expands scope of practice to include diagnostic examination, and testing to guide treatment.

Passed

Specifies and amends the scope of practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine, including the use of diagnostic examination, testing, and other procedures to guide treatment within the scope of practice for acupuncture and herbal medicine.

Medical Liability Reform: Implement provider friendly tort reform.

Failed

Decrease the statute of limitations on medical malpractice claims form four to two years.

Protect a health care provider’s personal assets from collection.

Cap economic damages to $500,000.

Limitations on Artificial Intelligence (AI) use in Insurance Preauthorization: insurers prohibited from utilizing AI algorithms as the sole basis for denying or downgrading preauthorization requests.

Passed

Insurers can use AI to accelerate approvals.

But, any adverse determination (denial) must undergo review and sign-off by a licensed provider.

Medical Assistance Protection Act (MAP Act): Strengthen Medicaid program integrity and combats fraud with stricter penalties, tighter oversight and expanded investigative powers, as requested by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), as part of a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). CMS deferred $259 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota, and threatened to withhold $2 billion annually, until a CMS approved CAP was submitted.

Passed

Expands definition of fraud.

Creates new, tiered penalties for fraud exceeding $100,000 and $1 million to align prison times with general state theft laws.

Includes Medicaid fraud in state racketeering laws.

Increased Investigative Powers: Grants the Attorney General’s Office new subpoena powers and expands the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) by adding 18 new positions (investigators, attorneys, and support staff) to keep pace with the growing Medicaid budget

Human Services Systems Modernization Act: Funding for IT system upgrades for health and human services programs at the state, county, and tribal level

Passed

Establishes Human Services Systems Modernization Fund to provide multiyear funding IT modernization

Appropriations to be determined by and Advisory Council, and legislative oversight by a Legislative Commission on Human services.