This week, the Minnesota House Health and Human Services Finance Committee held a hearing to discuss the latest problems surrounding our state's version of Obamacare – MNsure.
Recently, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor conducted an audit on the eligibility determinations for public programs conducted through the Department of Human Services and MNsure. According to its report, between January and May of 2015 Minnesota spent between $115 million and $271 million on people who were either enrolled in the wrong public program or who shouldn't have been on public programs in the first place.
The OLA report also noted that in its sample cases, a 38 percent error rate was found for those enrolled in either Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare programs through MNsure, and of that 38 percent, three quarters were ineligible for any public program. It estimated that there are 80,902 to 132,140 people who were improperly enrolled in public programs through MNsure, and that proper eligibility determination could have saved as much as $271 million in just one quarter.
Last session, I joined my colleagues in supporting an effort that would have done just that. The House approved an omnibus health and human services spending proposal that included public program eligibility verification legislation that was estimated to save our taxpayers $300 million. But the Dayton administration and Senate Democratic leadership did not share our enthusiasm for fiscal responsibility and the provision was ultimately dropped in conference committee and did not become law.
It's clear this topic, and this legislation, needs to be revisited. If Minnesota is wasting up to $271 million in just four months because state agencies cannot comprehend if an individual qualifies for a public program, then the legislature needs to take action. Improving government efficiency and protecting taxpayer dollars should never be a partisan issue, and I'm hopeful we can end this wasteful spending in 2016.
As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 501 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.