FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Marie Harmon
marie.harmon@state.mn.us
651-539-1961

ST. PAUL, Minn.—More Minnesotans have shopped early and enrolled in comprehensive health care coverage though MNsure than ever before. In just the first nine days, more than 20,000 Minnesotans enrolled through the state's health care exchange. It took about six weeks to achieve this milestone last year.

The results of this week's elections do not change MNsure's focus on providing high quality customer service to Minnesotans shopping for health care coverage and encouraging Minnesotans to take advantage of the financial assistance available only through MNsure.

As it stands, there have been no changes to the Affordable Care Act. Minnesotans who enroll during the current open enrollment period will have coverage throughout 2017 as long as they pay their monthly premiums on time. Insurance agreements completed through MNsure are contracts between an individual consumer and their health insurance company.

Below are updated numbers for the 2017 open enrollment season.

Since the start of open enrollment, MNsure has seen:

• 21,850 enrollments in health coverage completed
• 2,167 MinnesotaCare eligibility determinations
• 7,107 Medical Assistance eligibility determinations
• 361,105 visits to MNsure.org
• 75,949 sessions or visits on the comparison shopping tool
• 7,320 page views on the Assisters page – demonstrating that Minnesotans are exploring those options
• 22,358 accounts created
• 23,198 applications completed

MNsure's Contact Center opened at 8 a.m. today, and these numbers are as of 2:00 p.m.

• 1,644 total calls received to the Contact Center
• Average wait time is 23 seconds

The 2017 open enrollment period began on November 1, 2016, and ends on January 31, 2017. Minnesotans eligible for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare can enroll year-round. As of February 2016, 96 percent of Minnesotans have health coverage—the highest percentage in state history.