SAINT PAUL – Though citizens in Benton and Morrison Counties are already limited in their MNsure options, they could be altogether locked out of the insurance exchange if they do not enroll quickly.
Benton and Morrison are two of five Minnesota counties where all insurance plan options on the MNsure exchange will have enrollment number caps. Meaning, the exchange will only accommodate a certain amount of people in any given plan following the November 1st start to the 2017 enrollment period.
There has been no proposed solution by the Minnesota Department of Commerce or Governor Mark Dayton as to how Benton and Morrison County citizens will be able to get insurance coverage if they don’t get enrolled in a plan before enrollment caps are met for the county.
“The MNsure exchange has been a total disaster since Democrats brought the Affordable Care Act to Minnesota in 2013," said Rep. Jim Newberger (R-Becker). "Now we are facing a situation where people in Benton and Morrison Counties will have to race against each other to make sure they can enroll in an insurance plan, due to enrollment caps imposed by Governor Dayton's Department of Commerce. It is very frustrating to me that now I must encourage anyone planning on enrolling in a MNsure plan to enroll as early as possible, or risk not being able to get a health plan. This is an inexcusable situation, and I hope that now Democratic legislators will be willing to consider the MNsure reforms that fellow Republican officials and myself have been proposing for months."
Rep. Jim Newberger (R-Becker) is among other Republican legislators who support extending the MNsure enrollment period past January 31st, 2017 so more options can be brought to the market. Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston) Co-Chairman of the MNsure Legislative Oversight Committee, released a proposal Thursday aimed at bringing more choices to families and helping Minnesotans keep their doctor.
Residents of Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, and Stearns counties also have zero uncapped MNsure plan options.
###