Minnesota's ACA exchange, MNsure, is among the better ones when it comes to data transparency. Here's some key data from their monthly board meeting on March 6th.
A couple of other interesting items of note:
It looks like MNsure's annual budget averages around $36 - $40 million per year, with between 50-60% of it coming from their 3.5% premium fee on exchange-based enrollments (I would think they'd spread the fee across off-exchange enrollments as well, as some other state exchanges do, for consistency's sake, which would reduce the amount of additional funding they need from the state Dept. of Human Services, but that's up to the state legislature, I presume).
Minnesota's new Democratic (pardon me..."Democratic-Farmer-Labor", or DFL) Governor, Tim Walz, has just posted his proposed state budget for the next fiscal year, and it includes some fantastic expansions & improvements to the healthcare system of Minnesota, including both state-level ACA enhancements and a push for a robust Public Option, along with other ideas.
The Minnesota ACA exchange, MNsure, wrapped up their 2019 Open Enrollment Period on January 13th, and recently released three big reports chock full of wonky healthcare data nerd goodness. I'm mostly going to just repost some of the key graphs/charts, but make sure to read the full reports for all the details:
The annual report is mostly full of inside baseball administrative info, but the first two reports have lots of stuff of interest to the average reader of this site:
Things have been happening so quickly of late that I'm getting farther and farther behind on some important healthcare policy developments, particularly at the state level. There are two extremely important Public Option announcements which could be game changers if they make it through the legislative process.
Since I don't have time to do full write-ups on either one right now, I'll just present these summaries:
MNsure reaches record-setting sign-up numbers in sixth open enrollment period
123,731 Minnesotans sign up for private health coverage
ST. PAUL, Minn.—MNsure reported strong numbers during its sixth open enrollment period, which ended Sunday. Nearly 400 more Minnesotans signed up for coverage than during the previous open enrollment period, which ended with 123,334 sign-ups.
Hmmm...just as with Colorado, MNsure's official numbers don't quite jibe with CMS's official report from last year, which put MN's tally at 116,358 QHP selections...nearly 7,000 fewer than MNsure's number.
Last chance: MNsure Open Enrollment Period Ends this Sunday, January 13
January 10, 2019
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Minnesotans have until midnight on Sunday, January 13, to secure health insurance coverage through MNsure for 2019. Those who enroll by the deadline will have coverage that begins February 1.
"MNsure is the only place to get financial help to save money on your monthly premium," said MNsure CEO Nate Clark. "More than half of all MNsure enrollees are receiving tax credits."
Minnesotans can see if they qualify for financial help, while also comparing medical plans side by side, by using MNsure's plan comparison tool.
MNsure has extended Contact Center hours in the days leading up to the final deadline:
So, it's over, right? Well...not quite. The 2019 ACA Open Enrollment Period officially ended last night...but only in 43 states. In the remaining seven (+DC), Open Enrollment hasn't ended yet. 2019 ACA Open Enrollment is still ongoing for nearly 10% of the population!
In Massachusetts, open enrollment runs through Jan. 23rd, 2019 for coverage starting February 1st
In the District of Columbia and New York, open enrollment runs through Jan. 31st for coverage starting March 1st
MNsure Reports More Than 113,000 Private Health Plan Sign-ups Following First Deadline
December 17, 2018
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Following the first deadline for 2019 coverage, 113,000 Minnesotans have signed up for private health coverage through MNsure. Saturday, December 15, was the deadline for coverage beginning January 1. Minnesotans have until January 13 to sign up for coverage starting February 1, 2019.
“We are excited that more than 113,000 Minnesotans have already signed up for comprehensive coverage through MNsure.org during our smoothest open enrollment to-date,” said MNsure CEO Nate Clark.
Since the start of open enrollment, MNsure's Contact Center has fielded nearly 80,000 calls. In addition, there have been 1.2 million visits to MNsure.org and more than 175,000 plan comparison tool sessions.
They just updated that tally for me: 104,162 signups as of EOD 12/6.
Last year, MNsure broke 100,000 enrollments as of 11/23 and 101,626 as of 12/15, which should have put them at right around 100,900 QHP selections as of 12/06/17. That means the current total is around 3.2% ahead of the same point last year.
It's important to note that unlike most states, Minnesota's 2019 Open Enrollment Period doesn't end on the 15th (although you do have to sign up by then in order to have coverage start on January 1st); Minnesotans still have until January 13th to enroll (anyone who enrolls after 12/15 will have their coverage kick in on February 1st instead).
