June 01 2020

With Governor Tim Walz signing the Clinical Trials Access bill into law, Minnesota Medicaid patients now can access potentially life-saving clinical trials.

National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match®, the Minnesota-based non-profit entrusted to operate the national marrow donor registry will now also be able to assist MN patients who need a clinical trial to treat blood cancers and other blood disorders.

“Now more than ever, access to treatment is critical to saving lives. For Minnesota patients needing a clinical trial, insurance coverage should not be a barrier to healthcare,” said Amy Ronneberg, Acting CEO of NMDP/Be The Match. “We applaud Governor Walz and the Minnesota Legislature for making clinical trials accessible for all Minnesotans.”

The Clinical Trials Access bill (H.F. 3026), authored by Representative Alice Mann (DFL-Burnsville) and Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester), was included in the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill (S.F. 3560) that passed in the MN House of Representatives on May 13 and passed in the MN Senate on May 7. The MN Senate unanimously passed the standalone Clinical Trials bill) on April 16.

In support of the Clinical Trials Access bill, NMDP/Be The Match held their first Day-At-The-Capitol in February where over 100 employees and volunteers went to St. Paul to ask state lawmakers to make equal access to clinical trials a top priority for Minnesota.

From 2013-2018 across the state of Minnesota, NMDP/Be The Match facilitated 568 bone marrow or blood stem cell transplants, 325 people donated bone marrow or blood stem cells to a patient in need, and 37,848 potential MN donors joined the Be The Match Registry.

About Be The Match®

For people with life-threatening blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry®, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant.

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research through its research program, CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®), so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.