FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jenni Bowring-McDonough
Media Relations Coordinator

ST. PAUL, Minn.- Representatives from Deloitte Consulting, LLP (Deloitte), under contract with MNsure to provide project management support for the state's health insurance marketplace, today presented the MNsure Board of Directors with a path forward based on their initial eight week assessment. Since late April, Deloitte has been working with MNsure's technology vendors and key staff to analyze the current system and develop recommendations that will support MNsure's efforts to make enrolling in health insurance easier and more efficient. Deloitte is in the process of completing a more thorough and detailed technical review of the IT system to ready it for enrollment this fall and to support MNsure's long-term goals.

"We sought out a lead vendor—Deloitte—to help MNsure prepare for the launch of the upcoming open enrollment period and identify long-term structural issues that we need to address," said Scott Leitz, MNsure CEO. "Their assessments and recommendations offer a clear path forward for MNsure and I look forward to working with them, our state partners and our IT vendors to continue to improve MNsure so it's ready for open enrollment in the fall."

At today's Board meeting, Deloitte provided highlights of three of five reports it is preparing for MNsure.

In the first report, Deloitte reconciled the work that was contracted to MNsure IT vendors with payments the State made for the development and implementation of the health insurance marketplace.

In the second report, which is still in the process of being finalized, Deloitte assessed MNsure's current project governance and program management processes. Deloitte noted the positive steps that have been taken this year, and recommended streamlining program execution responsibility, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and improving the management of system risks, issues, defects and testing.

In the third report, Deloitte conducted the first phase of its functional assessment of the existing MNsure system. As part of this review, MNsure's IT vendors demonstrated detailed scenarios that were designed to reflect the vast majority of processing capability needed in a fully-functioning system. Deloitte found that in about one-third of the cases, the system functioned as expected. In about two-thirds of the cases, the system was either missing functionality or it was present, but not performing as expected. Deloitte recommended that MNsure pay particular attention to these critical new functions: Qualifying Life Events and renewals for Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare, and qualified health plans.

Deloitte's initial review of the MNsure system's underlying technical architecture and foundation did not identify significant issues or gaps. However, there are opportunities for improvement and they will be addressed by Deloitte in a later report. Over the next few weeks, Deloitte will provide a baseline integrated systems work plan that codifies the steps and activities needed for the November 2014 open enrollment period.

"We are pleased with the work Deloitte has done, and today's presentation to the Board reinforces what we knew to be true: important work lies ahead," said MNsure Board Chairman Brian Beutner. "We know that there will be future challenges as we move closer to the upcoming open enrollment period, and Deloitte's findings are critical to identifying where changes and improvements must be made and where we are on the right track."

"Today's presentation reiterates our top priorities for system improvements-life events and renewals for Medical Assistance, MinnesotaCare and commercial plans-and is in step with work that is already underway to ensure these functions are operational," said Leitz. "More than 240,000 Minnesotans have enrolled in comprehensive health coverage through MNsure since we launched. I am confident that Deloitte's assessment will help us further reduce the number of uninsured in Minnesota from its current level of 4.9%, a record low."

"With system gaps defined and prioritizing of those gaps started, we have outlined an action-oriented implementation roadmap which will support the State's efforts to meet the 2014 open enrollment," said Brian Keane, Project Principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP. "To further reinforce those implementation efforts, the State and Deloitte are in discussions to expand Deloitte's scope to leverage our knowledge and experience-particularly in the design cycle-to develop the prioritized functionality."

Since the launch of MNsure, 242,594 Minnesotans have enrolled in quality, affordable coverage through MNsure. 140,804 are enrolled in Medical Assistance, 49,930 in MinnesotaCare and 51,860 in a qualified health plan. Between September 30, 2013, and May 1, 2014, the number of uninsured Minnesotans fell by 40.6%, a record low.

As Deloitte's reports are finalized and approved by the State they will be posted at MNsure.org on the /about-us/board-committees/doc-library/index.jspboard meeting materials page.