Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here is an update from the Capitol.
Military Voting Bill
On Monday in the House Veterans Division, they heard and passed HF 501, a bill I am authoring to expand existing absentee voting procedures to members of the Minnesota National Guard. Our military do so much for us, and if they’re deployed during an election, we must ensure they are not disenfranchised.
HF 501 has strong bipartisan support, and the Secretary of State came to testify on behalf of my bill. It will be heard next in the Government Operations and Elections Committee.
Office of Legislative Auditor Releases MNsure Report
Earlier this week, the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) released their nonpartisan report on MNsure, heavily criticizing the exchange that has been plagued with problems since being launched in October 2013. Straight from the report, OLA stated “MNsure’s failures outweighed its achievements.”
Many remember the early failings MNsure had after going live, with technical problems, long wait times and many families being left in limbo, unsure whether or not they had completed the insurance process. Those anecdotes have been substantiated by OLA’s investigation.
Some key findings include:
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75 percent of MNsure users reported having significant technical problems with the website
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58 percent spent at least four hours in the enrollment process
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MNsure did not properly train navigators or customer service representatives, and many were ill-equipped to help customers through the enrollment process
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In the first eleven months, 1 in 3 calls into the MNsure call center were abandoned
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MNsure’s enrollment target contained an error and was unrealistically low, but the exchange still reported it met overall enrollment targets
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Only 28 percent of MNsure enrollees were immediately uninsured before enrollment
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MNsure cannot easily adapt to simple change of life events such as births, marriage or income modifications
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Many consumers were not notified of the status of their application for insurance or their eligibility for public programs or tax credits
Republicans have put bills forward this session that address some of the problems with MNsure, increasing accountability and ensuring fair access to affordable health care for all Minnesotans, regardless of whether they sign up through MNsure.
Minnesota’s Obamacare exchange was passed into law before I began serving in the legislature, but I am hopeful that we can work on a bipartisan basis in the House, Senate and with the governor’s office to bring much needed reform and fixes to MNsure. By adopting some OLA recommendations and bringing other bipartisan resolutions to the table, we can make a better, more efficient exchange that works for Minnesotans.
Coffee with Kelly
On Saturday, February 28th I will be at the Woodbury Kowalski’s from 9:00-11:00 AM for Coffee with Kelly, a chance for constituents to come in and chat with me about any ideas, concerns or input they have about state government. As your new state representative, I want to ensure that I am available in the district, and that I have a chance to hear from you directly about your priorities for the legislative session.
I hope you can join me!
What: Coffee with Kelly
When: Saturday, February 28th
Where: Woodbury Kowalski’s in the upstairs café by the Starbucks
Time: 9:00-11:00 AM
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As always, I am grateful and humbled to be your state representative, and will be fighting hard for the people and priorities of Woodbury this session. If I can be of any assistance to you or your family on a matter of state government, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am here to serve you!
Sincerely,
Kelly
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