Minnesota: MNsure extending 2019 Open Enrollment thru 1/13/19

This just in via email...

MNsure again giving Minnesotans more time to shop for health coverage for 2019
Minnesotans will have an extra month to shop for coverage again this year

ST. PAUL, MN--Today MNsure announced the dates during which Minnesotans will have time to shop for 2019 health coverage. Open enrollment will begin on Nov. 1, 2018, and run through Jan. 13, 2019. This is nearly a month longer than the federal open enrollment period that runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15. As a state-based marketplace, MNsure has authority to supplement the upcoming federal open enrollment period with a special enrollment period to give Minnesotans more time to shop.

"Shopping for health coverage is a complex process, and Minnesotans rely on the free in-person assistance offered by MNsure’s assister network," said acting CEO Nate Clark. "This year our assisters face additional challenges given the amount of change coming to Minnesota’s Medicare plans. The extra time to shop will ensure that all MNsure consumers who need it will get that vital assistance."

Before deciding on open enrollment dates for coverage year 2019, MNsure sought feedback from stakeholders and consumers to get a clearer picture of the challenges facing them this upcoming open enrollment. The consistent feedback was that, given the continued uncertainty at the federal level, the additional complexity introduced through new products potentially being introduced into the market, and the necessary transition of over 300,000 Medicare beneficiaries into new plans, consumers need the additional time to ensure they are able to make the health coverage choice that is right for them and their family.

This year, 65 percent of private plan enrollees are receiving tax credits averaging more than $7,000 a year per family. In total, Minnesotans are poised to save over $300 million in tax credits in 2018. Of the more than 400,000 Minnesotans who found coverage through MNsure, over 90 percent qualified for tax credits, MinnesotaCare or Medicaid.

It looks like the 6th Open Enrollment Period (OE6) deadlines are gonna be a similar all-over-the-calendar situation to OE5:

• 39 states on HC.gov will run from 11/1/18 - 12/15/18
• I believe New York and DC will run from 11/1/18 - 1/31/19
• California is planning on running from, believe it or not, October 15, 2018 through January 15, 2019
• Minnesota, as noted above, will run from 11/1/18 - 1/13/19
• The other 9 states are unknown so far. For OE5, Idaho and Vermont stuck with the 12/15 deadline, while the other 7 states ranged from 12/22 to 1/23.