Dear Neighbors,
Here is a rundown of some of the latest news out of St. Paul.
MNsure Continues to Disappoint
Although MNsure is reporting it has met revised enrollment goals with 169,000 sign ups, the exchange has failed to reach several critical milestones by the March 31 deadline.
More than half enrolled through the exchange signed up for Medical Assistance. A tax on private plans is how MNsure intends to fund the exchange going forward, and with only 47,000 private insurance sign ups, they are more than 80 percent below their original goal.
Every Minnesotan must now be covered, and there will not be an open enrollment again until November of this year. Minnesota families of four will have to pay a $285 penalty for being unable to purchase insurance by the deadline, and starting in 2016 that penalty will increase to $695 per person. MNsure estimates that around 50,000 people will be fined by the IRS this year.
This is quite troubling considering that thousands of Minnesotans were left in enrollment limbo by deadline, unable to get though a crashing website, long wait times and an ineffective bureaucracy.
After launching last year with $160 million in taxpayer money, there is no excuse that the exchange was still facing technical problems on the last day of enrollment. While MNsure is offering an extension for the 36,000 who made a “good faith” effort to enroll on their site, too many Minnesotans remain in limbo. People should not be punished for MNsure’s incompetence.
The federal government has also noticed the massive number of problems MNsure has experienced and is calling their director to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on April 3.
The congressional panel has a number of questions about the problems MNsure has experienced including an early data breach that left personal information of thousands susceptible to identity theft, low enrollment numbers, the abrupt departure of the first director and the functional and technical problems that continue to plague the website.
MNsure has failed Minnesota and we deserve answers.
The Democrats’ Garbage Bill
The House is voting on a large bill chock full of wasteful spending on Thursday, April 3. The bill (affectionately referred to as the Garbage Bill because so many provisions have been dumped into it) is nearly 500 pages long and includes $323 million in new spending.
Combining the fiscal omnibus bills from several committees, Democrats are using surplus funds to dramatically increase state spending instead of returning that hard-earned money to taxpayers.
While the bill does include some positives like adding $58 to the K-12 funding formula, increasing penalties for sex offenders and funding the 5% Campaign, the bad far outweighs the good.
The second year of a session usually focuses on bonding, but instead this seems to be another budget year for Democrats to squander tax dollars on pet projects. The bill adds base funding for a number of agencies and will take more out of the general fund going forward—costing taxpayers even more in the years to come.
Constituents at the Capitol
Many constituents like to visit the Capitol this time of year. It is always wonderful to talk with folks and hear what is important to them and their families.
Reps. Woodard and Myhra with Concordia College Students
Scott County Soil and Water
As always, it is an honor to represent you in Saint Paul, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm Regards,
Kelby