FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joe Campbell
Marketing and Communications Director

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Today, MNsure announced more than a quarter of a million Minnesotans are now enrolled in quality, affordable health insurance coverage through the state's health insurance marketplace. To date, 251,592 Minnesotans have enrolled through MNsure. 147,310 are enrolled in Medical Assistance, 52,049 in MinnesotaCare and 52,233 in a qualified health plan.

"We are very pleased to see MNsure enrollment continuing to grow," said CEO Scott Leitz. "Even though open enrollment is closed, we are maintaining about 1,000 new enrollments every day."

The only Minnesotans who can currently enroll in health insurance-inside or outside of MNsure-are those who experience a qualifying life event, those who are eligible for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare, members of federally recognized Indian tribes or participants in the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).

"The Minnesota Department of Health estimates 67% of uninsured adults and 82% of uninsured kids in Minnesota qualify for either Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare," said Leitz. "If you think you qualify for one of these programs, or a special enrollment period, we want you to come through and get covered. Our certified navigator and broker partners are averaging nearly 500 free, face-to-face enrollment opportunities statewide every week. We want folks to take advantage of the resources available to get the coverage they need."

An analysis by the University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) showed between September 30, 2013, and May 1, 2014, the number of uninsured Minnesotans fell by 180,500, a reduction of 40.6 percent. The number of uninsured in Minnesota fell from 445,000 (8.2 percent of the population) to about 264,500 (4.9 percent of the population), a record low.

2015 open enrollment begins on November 15, 2014.