MNsure sees 4% increase in signups during this year's open enrollment period
More than 155,000 Minnesotans found coverage through MNsure.org
ST. PAUL, Minn.—From November 1 to December 22, 2020, more than 155,000 Minnesotans found health insurance coverage during MNsure's eighth open enrollment period. A total of 122,269 Minnesotans signed up for private health plans through the exchange, which is 4,729 more than the previous open enrollment period.
It's worth noting that the way MNsure categorizes ACA exchange enrollees is slightly different than how CMS does...according to the official 2020 Open Enrollment Period Report Public Use File, Minnesota only actually enrolled 110,042 people during last year's OEP. I'm not sure what happened to the 12,227 QHP selection difference, but assuming this year's 122.3K figure holds by CMS, it means they're actually up 11.1% year over year, not just 4.0%.
This is interesting...I just received the following email from the Michigan Dept. of Insurance & Financial Services
Michigan Joins Group of State Insurance Commissioners to Provide ACA Policy Recommendations to President-elect Biden
Anita Fox, Director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS), has joined a group of state insurance commissioners in a pledge to work with President-elect Joe Biden by providing health policy recommendations to the incoming administration.
The commissioners share President-elect Biden’s vision that no American should have to go without health care coverage. They believe comprehensive and progressive health care is essential to addressing urgent public health priorities, such as the COVID-19 and opioid crises, addressing racial disparities in the health care system, and ensuring enforcement of mental health parity.
DENVER (KDVR) — Laura Packard was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkins-Lymphoma cancer in 2017. The 44-year-old moved from Nevada to Colorado in 2019 for one reason: the state’s heath insurance exchange that provides affordable options to individuals who otherwise can’t get coverage.
Doctors at UCHealth have continued to treat Packard to make sure she stays cancer-free.
I'm not gonna dig back through the past 5 election cycles to verify whether this claim is accurate or not, but I did at least check into it for the most recent election last month.
Covered California Joins African-American Health Leaders Urging Californians to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations and Encouraging Consumers to Get Covered in 2021
MNsure's Open Enrollment Period Ends Tuesday, December 22 at Midnight
December 21, 2020
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Minnesotans looking for private health insurance beginning January 1, 2021, have until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, December 22 to enroll in coverage through MNsure.
"Don't miss your chance to get health insurance coverage in the new year," said MNsure CEO Nate Clark. "Come to MNsure.org to compare your options and see if you qualify for financial benefits to lower the cost of your insurance—most Minnesotans do! Get enrolled today and have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ve got comprehensive health coverage."
MNsure's Contact Center is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, December 21 and 8 a.m. to midnight on Tuesday, December 22.
Most people qualify for financial help. Minnesotans can see their estimated eligibility for financial help by using MNsure's plan comparison tool.
I'm over a month late on this, but the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority issued a mid-OEP enrollment report at their November board meeting (unfortunately they don't appear to have done so at their December meeting), so here it is as of 11/16.
Ther's not a whole lot of interest here, but it's worth noting that DC's effectuated enrollment in November was 7.6% higher than a year ago. This is again likely due to the extended "open" COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period in 2020:
Well, for good or for bad, it's finally here: The stripped-down-but-bipartisan COVID19 relief bill.
You can read the whole thing here...if you have a LOT of spare time on your hands. It's 5,600 pages long, 1.1 million words. For context, the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is only half that length (576,000 words).
There's 1,000 explainers being written today about the most obvious stuff (the $600 direct relief checks, the extended & enhanced unemployment funding, etc etc), most of which falls far short of what's actually needed. Instead, I'm focusing on the ACA-related provisions. I already wrote about the surprise billing prohibition this morning, of course, but a quick initial scan of the text (which isn't easy...again, 5,600 pages...) reveals several other items directly related to the Affordable Care Act, so let's take a look! (Note: I'm sure I'm missing a few):
Over six months after House Democrats passed a robust COVID-19 relief bill (only to see it continuously blocked by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), it looks like Congress is finally set to compromise on a vastly stripped-down bipartisan bill which would provide at least a small amount of relief for hundreds of millions of American families and businesses.
While the bill is underwhelming (to put it mildly) overall, it does include several important provisions, one of which is a long-sought solution to a massive healthcare problem which existed long before COVID came knocking at our door nearly a year ago: Surprise Billing.
