On Tuesday, April 14th, Nicole Smith-Holt watched from the top balcony of the Minnesota state house as the legislature voted on the bill bearing her son’s name. A bill meant to prevent other Minnesotans from rationing their insulin and dying, like her son Alec did more than two years prior.
“Please don’t let this fall apart like last time,” Smith-Holt thought as she clutched her hands into a prayer position. She knew the bill wasn’t perfect, but she had already seen Alec’s bill fail once before. This was the best Minneosta was going to do anytime soon, she thought.
Smith-Holt got her wish last week, when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law. Now, Minnesotans who consider rationing can get access to specially-funded emergency insulin supplies. It’s a seemingly common-sense solution to one of the most straightforward problems in health care, but it has prompted some of the most bitter feuds the Minnesota legislature has seen in recent memory.
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