MNsure Announces Special Enrollment Period For Minnesotans

MNsure announced Saturday a one-week special enrollment period (SEP) to give Minnesotans additional time to purchase health insurance and benefit from a new law that provides an automatic 25 percent reduction in health insurance premiums for the more than 125,000 Minnesotans facing significant premium increases in the individual market. The SEP will run from Wednesday, Feb. 1 through Wednesday, Feb. 8.

It is open to all Minnesotans; however, they must purchase health insurance through the MNsure website.

Because MNsure is a state-based exchange it has the authority to declare a special enrollment period under exceptional circumstances. The premium relief bill passed by the Minnesota State Legislature and signed by Governor Mark Dayton last week presented "exceptional circumstances" because it did not offer Minnesotans enough time to become aware of a new subsidy, MNsure said.

The law appropriates $312 million to provide consumers who purchase health insurance in the individual market and do not receive advanced premium tax credits, an automatic 25 percent discount on their monthly health insurance premiums. The discount will be applied automatically by health insurance companies and does not require additional action by Minnesotans.

The current open enrollment period is scheduled to end on January 31; however, this SEP extends the time Minnesotans have to shop for health insurance by one additional week. Health insurance purchased during this SEP is effective March 1, 2017.

"This is good news for Minnesotans," MNsure CEO Allison O'Toole said in a statement. "Given how close enactment of the premium relief bill was to the deadline for open enrollment we believe Minnesotans needed more time to benefit from this important opportunity to lower their monthly health insurance bill by 25 percent."

On Dec. 7, 2016, Dayton requested that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant an extension for the current open enrollment period. That request was denied; however, last week on January 24, 2017, Dayton asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider his request for an extension. That request is still pending, according to a news release.

For more information on this special enrollment period please see these frequently asked questions.

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