Committee hears emotional testimony on removing prior authorization for OUD medications; bill laid over

ST. PAUL — House File 3444, introduced on Feb. 23, would eliminate prior authorization and step-therapy requirements for medications for opioid-use disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine and methadone. The Health Finance and Policy Committee heard testimony and agreed to hold the bill for inclusion in future omnibus work.

Representative Mohamud said delays in obtaining MOUD translate into lost opportunities for treatment and higher overdose risk. Dr. Ryan Kelly, an addiction-medicine physician, described clinic experience when prior authorization caused patients seeking treatment to disappear and, in some cases, later die. “Anything that we can do to get access to these medications ... is gonna save lives,” Kelly said.

Jason Urbanczyk, a person with lived experience, gave a detailed account of being forced to wait for prior authorization and said the delay was life-threatening. “Wait looks like defeat ... Hang in there. When your bones feel like they're breaking from the inside ... most people can't hang in there,” Urbanczyk said. Members thanked witnesses and agreed to keep the bill in committee to work on fiscal implications and drafting.