American Rescue Plan
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Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare
The American Rescue Plan expands benefits available to Minnesotans through MNsure.
See frequently asked questions here.
Most Minnesotans qualify for financial help. You may qualify for tax credits or a low-cost or free plan.
To get a quick estimate for the financial help for which you may qualify, see these income guidelines or our estimator tool.
You must submit an application WITH financial help to get an official eligibility determination for tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, or Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare.No. MNsure remains the only place where consumers can qualify for financial help either through a federal tax credit or cost-sharing reductions or the MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance programs to help pay the cost for their health insurance plan.
To get a quick estimate for the financial help for which you may qualify, see the income guidelines or our estimator tool.
You must submit an application WITH financial help to get an official eligibility determination for tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, or Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare.
Only on MNsure can you compare plans from multiple health insurance companies all in one place. With our plan comparison tool, you can review costs associated with a particular plan, such as co-pays, deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.
It's your choice. We anticipate that most people will choose to receive the tax credit monthly. The monthly option works this way:
Note: MNsure has recently updated its systems to make the enhanced tax credits through the American Rescue Plan available in advance, so the insurance company you enroll with can deduct them from your monthly premium if you choose. Any tax credits you are eligible for but not able to collect in advance will be provided to you by way of your tax return. These enhanced benefits are retroactive to your first date of coverage through MNsure in 2021.
No.
A tax credit lowers your monthly private health plan insurance premium costs. MNsure will apply the full amount available to you towards the cost of your premium unless you have indicated otherwise. The cost-sharing reductions are a discount that lowers the amount you have to pay out of pocket for deductibles, co-insurance and co-payments.
Your eligibility for a tax credit or cost-sharing reductions is based on the most recent information that you reported to MNsure. Be sure to report changes and submit any requested proof as soon as possible. If you submit information that is not truthful or accurate, your private plan coverage may be terminated and you may have to repay any payments that you are not entitled to, including advance payment of premium tax credits.
Follow the instructions on the Report Income Change page.
You may be eligible for low- or no-cost coverage, or increased financial help toward paying for your current plan.
Right away.
Follow the instructions on the Report Income Change page.
You may be eligible for low- or no-cost coverage, or increased financial help toward paying for your current plan.
You may qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP) to enroll in coverage through MNsure if you lost health coverage in the past 60 days OR you expect to lose coverage in the next 60 days, through:
To avoid a gap in coverage you can apply for this SEP up to 60 days before your coverage ends.
You can also apply for this SEP up to 60 days after your employer coverage ends.
You may qualify for increased financial help in paying for your current plan. Or, you could be eligible for low-cost or no-cost health coverage through Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare.
Call the MNsure Contact Center or work with a MNsure-certified assister to report this income change right away.
You may qualify for no- or low-cost health coverage through Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. These programs provide comprehensive health coverage and enrollment in is open year-round.
You can get an estimate of your eligibility from the income guidelines or our estimator tool. You will need to complete an application to determine your actual eligibility.
You may qualify for no- or low-cost health coverage through Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare. These programs provide comprehensive health coverage and enrollment in is open year-round.
You can get an estimate of your eligibility from the income guidelines or our estimator tool. You will need to complete an application to determine your actual eligibility.
We have an entire section devoted to frequently asked questions about IRS Form 1095-A.
If you received a premium tax credit in a past year and have not filed a federal tax return for that year, you will no longer be eligible for premium tax credits or cost-sharing reductions. You should file a tax return as soon as possible, including a completed IRS Form 8962.
You should have received an IRS Form 1095-A from MNsure to help fill out Form 8962 and file your federal income tax return. If you did not receive a copy of this form, call the MNsure Contact Center. After you file your tax return, call the MNsure Contact Center to report that information.
Yes. When you complete your application, you must agree that you intend to file a federal tax return in order to have an advanced premium tax credit (APTC) or cost-sharing reductions (CSR) applied to your private health plan. You must file a federal income tax return, even if you're usually not required to file. Your APTC is estimated based on your projected household income and family composition for the year and other information. When you file your tax return, the Internal Revenue Service determines the final amount of tax credit you qualify for based on the actual income you received during the year. Filing a tax return for any year in which you received APTC also ensures that you have the opportunity to get APTC or CSR in future years.
Find more information about your rights and responsibilities.
No.
Indicate on your MNsure application your tax filer status, include any tax dependents, and select “Never Married” as your marital status.
If you're living apart from your spouse and are a victim of domestic abuse, domestic violence, or spousal abandonment and want to enroll in your own health plan separate from your abuser or abandoner, you can submit an application for health coverage through MNsure. You will need to certify on your IRS Form 8962 when you file your taxes that you are a victim of domestic abuse or spousal abandonment.
Before enrolling in COBRA, review your coverage options, MNsure can provide affordable options to maintain coverage. To avoid a gap in coverage, you can apply for a special enrollment period through MNsure up to 60 days before your COBRA coverage ends.
Important: If you do enroll in COBRA, and voluntarily decide to end your COBRA coverage early, this would not qualify for a special enrollment period to enroll through MNsure.
You may qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP) to enroll in health insurance through MNsure if your employer stops subsidizing your COBRA premium and you must now pay the full cost of the premium.
To avoid a gap in coverage you can apply for this SEP up to 60 days before or after your employer stops subsidizing the COBRA premium.
On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Continued Assistance Act), was signed into law.
Minnesotans may receive payments through the Continued Assistance Act in the form of an individual recovery tax credit rebate and/or supplemental federal unemployment compensation. The supplemental unemployment benefit is available as a $300/week payment (Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation or FPUC), and an additional $100/week payment for some recipients (Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation or MEUC), to Minnesotans receiving regular or extended state unemployment benefits.
If you received unemployment income for at least one week in 2021, you may qualify for a $0 premium plan.
Yes. State unemployment compensation is taxable income and should be included as part of your household income on your application.
This rebate is excluded as income in determining eligibility for advanced premium tax credits (APTC) and cost –sharing reductions, so you do not need to report it as income for those programs. The rebate will not be included in your 2021 modified adjusted gross income when reconciling your 2021 APTC eligibility with the IRS.
Please contact the Department of Human Services for information about Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare reporting requirements.
Yes. The $300/week supplemental unemployment payment is taxable income and must be reported as part of your household income. You will be instructed on where to enter this amount on the application.
Yes. The additional $100/week MEUC payment is taxable income and must be reported as part of your household income. You will be instructed on where to enter this amount on the application.
See affordability worksheets and additional information about the types of HRAs that can affect tax credits through MNsure.
The qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement (QSEHRA) allows small employers to establish a company-funded benefit to reimburse consumers for personal health care expenses, including individual market coverage. QSEHRAs are available to employers with 50 or fewer employees and caps benefit amounts at $5,300 for employee-only coverage and $10,700 for consumers with dependents (2021 amounts).
MNsure has not yet incorporated the QSEHRA rules into its application architecture. As a result, individuals offered these HRAs should use the QSEHRA worksheet to get information about their APTC eligibility and coverage options.
The individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement (ICHRA) is a new program as of June 2019. ICHRAs enable employers to set up a company-funded benefit to reimburse consumers for personal health care expenses, including individual market coverage. ICHRAs are available to employers of any size, there are no benefit caps, and employers may vary eligibility and benefit amount by employee class.
MNsure has not yet incorporated the ICHRA rules into its application architecture. As a result, individuals offered these HRAs should use the ICHRA affordability worksheet to get information about their APTC eligibility and coverage options.
If your employer offers you an ICHRA, you'll need to determine if it is or isn’t considered affordable.
If you have accepted the offer of an ICHRA, or if it’s affordable for you even if you haven’t accepted the offer, you can’t get a premium tax credit to lower the cost of a plan you purchase through MNsure.
See more information including a worksheet to calculate ICHRA affordability.
Yes. Employees can enroll in a private health plan using MNsure and use their QSEHRA benefits toward premiums.
Your employer’s offer for a QSEHRA is considered affordable coverage that bars advanced premium tax credit (APTC) payments. However, in some situations, your employer’s contributions and the cost of your benchmark plan (second lowest cost silver plan or SLCSP) might be considered unaffordable, such that you could use both APTC and QSEHRA payments to help pay for your premiums. If you’re eligible for and apply both APTC and QSEHRA payments toward your premium, you must reduce your maximum APTC applied to your plan by your employer’s monthly contribution (or by 1/12 the annual employer contribution) to avoid additional tax liability.
Find a QSEHRA affordability worksheet and additional information here.
See more FAQ about renewing coverage.
