FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Michael Schommer, Minnesota Department of Health
Anne O'Connor, Minnesota Department of Commerce
John Reich, MNsure

SAINT PAUL, MN -Residents of Olmsted and Dodge Counties will soon have seven additional health insurance coverage options to choose from through MNsure. The Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Health have been working with insurers for several weeks to find a solution for consumers in specific zip codes who initially had fewer options when buying health insurance coverage through MNsure.

Seven new health insurance plans will be added to MNsure to provide residents of Olmsted and Dodge Counties additional choices. Those plans will include: two bronze plans, two silver plans and two gold plans with a choice of either co-pay or health savings account (HSA) options at each metal level, as well as one catastrophic plan. The new plans also offer corresponding child plans, resulting in six more child plan choices.

Now that the plans have been formally approved by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Health, MNsure is working on a technical solution to make these additional choices available to consumers online as quickly as possible.

"Minnesotans, regardless of where they live - Rochester, Duluth, Eveleth or the Twin Cities, and everyone across the state - deserve choice when purchasing health insurance coverage," said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. "Once we identified the opportunity, we worked swiftly to facilitate a solution with Medica on behalf of consumers to provide more choice and access to health coverage."

State officials engaged Medica, which is offering products through MNsure elsewhere in Olmsted and Dodge Counties, to ensure the company had the ability to offer the additional health plans for the remainder of the open enrollment period in the zip codes that had previously lacked robust options.

"We know having quality health insurance coverage leads to better health outcomes," Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger said. "Each person and family has different needs, and it's important to have a range of options to make sure the insurance plan fits their specific needs. We are pleased to be able to help deliver more options to residents of Olmsted and Dodge Counties."

"MNsure is pleased that the Departments of Health and Commerce and Medica could agree upon a regulatory path to make changes to improve the choices available to consumers on MNsure," said MNsure Executive Director April Todd-Malmlov. "While these limited changes were permitted this year, mid-year changes to plans on MNsure generally would not be permitted in the future. We have already begun working on the technical solution to add these choices as quickly as possible."

When Will the New Plans Be Available?
Now that the plans have been formally approved by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Health, MNsure is working on a technical solution to make these additional choices available to consumers online as quickly as possible.

Who Can I Contact With Questions?
Olmsted and Dodge County residents who have questions about coverage options, or are seeking assistance with MNsure enrollment can contact the MNsure Contact Center at 1-855-3MNSURE or 1-855-366-7873, or log onto mnsure.org for additional information. Consumers are also encouraged to contact a navigator or broker in your area. A list of contact information for navigators and brokers serving Olmsted and Dodge County residents is available.