CHICAGO — Patients in Minnesota with chronic pain, opioid use disorder and other medical diseases will have increased access to the medications they need thanks to new law in Minnesota that greatly relaxes the state’s refill limits on controlled substances.
The law, enacted as part of the response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, allows Schedule II-V controlled substances to be dispensed for more than 30 days and removes existing refill limitations. These new policies, part of the American Medical Association's top policy recommendations for states, will allow patients with chronic diseases to stay home during shelter-in-place and other social-distancing efforts aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19. Read more about AMA’s state policy recommendations here.
“The AMA applauds the Minnesota Medical Association and the Minnesota Legislature for their leadership in enacting this legislation and urges all states to take similar action,” said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A. “The AMA expects all pharmacies, pharmacy benefit management companies and health insurance companies doing business in the state of Minnesota to comply with the law and remove any restrictions that would interfere with this legislation.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
