ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House of Representatives has approved legislation chief-authored by State Representative Jason Rarick (R-Pine City) that would remove liens that were unknowingly placed on the estates on a number of local MNsure customers.
“I was pleased the House recognized this as a significant problem and made this issue a top priority,” Rarick said. “Having liens placed on your estate after being forced to accept health insurance you did not want is an unacceptable action by state government.”
Earlier this year it was discovered that a number of Pine County residents unknowingly had liens placed on their property after signing up for health insurance through MNsure. MNsure gave them only one option – Medical Assistance – and the residents signed up. Later they discovered that their insurance would be paid for through liens on their estate after they had died.
Rarick's bill would require the reimbursement to the estate of any Medical Assistance recipient aged 55 to 64 who received services, other than institutionalization, retroactive to January 1, 2014.
“It’s truly unfortunate that MNsure has put some of its customers into this unwanted financial hardship,” Rarick said. “Lawmakers are now forced to clean up this mess, and the first step in that process was getting this legislation approved in the Minnesota House.”
This proposal, along with another Rarick-sponsored initiative that requires MNsure to prominently display notice to Medical Assistance enrollees that they may be subject to estate liens for coverage, were both approved in an omnibus health and human services bill. That comprehensive legislation now heads to the Minnesota Senate for continued debate.