FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jenni Bowring-McDonough
Media Relations Coordinator

ST. PAUL, Minn. - With the 2015 open enrollment period underway, MNsure is reminding Minnesotans about the unique financial help available to them only through MNsure by launching "Financial Help Week." This is the first of many theme weeks MNsure will hold throughout open enrollment. Financial Help Week will include messages about the assistance available, as well as new tools to easily check financial help eligibility.

"MNsure is the only place to get advanced premium tax credits, or enroll in a no-cost or low-cost health insurance plan," said CEO Scott Leitz. "Most Minnesotans qualify for some form of financial assistance and we want to make sure every Minnesotan that qualifies is taking advantage of this help."

In an effort to more easily identify financial help eligibility, MNsure is launching a new financial help calculator on the Cost Overview page of MNsure.org. The calculator asks for zip code, estimated household income and number of people in the household. The calculator will then let Minnesotans know if they may be eligible for a public health insurance program like Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare, or an advanced premium tax credit to be applied toward a private plan.

The calculator is provided by Get Covered America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign of Enroll America focused on raising public awareness and engaging consumers about their new, affordable health insurance options. The eligibility and/or financial assistance quoted by this calculator is not guaranteed. The only way to get an accurate eligibility determination is to fill out an application on MNsure.org.

"We're hopeful this new calculator tool will at least give Minnesotans insight into whether they might qualify for financial help," said Leitz. "If a consumer does potentially qualify, consumers should take the next step and apply for coverage."

Open enrollment for 2015 coverage begins November 15, 2014, and ends February 15, 2015. Minnesotans eligible for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare can enroll year-round. As of May 2014, 95 percent of Minnesotans have health coverage - the highest percentage in state history.