Governor Tim Walz says lawmakers have reached the end of what closed door negotiations can do on an insulin assistance program, and is calling for public meetings to get a bill ready for a special session he’d like to call before Christmas. The governor told reporters he wants insulin manufacturers at the table, in open hearings, to answer questions from all sides: “To be quite candid…, what is the purpose behind the closed doors right now? Who’s being protected in this and who’s being served?”
Republicans and Democrats seem to agree an insulin assistance program should address not only emergencies but also long term needs. They’re stalemated on whether insulin manufacturers should pay a fee to help run the program.