MNsure’s rocky rollout: It’s blame-game time
Vendors blame the state. Dayton blames the private companies. Republicans blame the governor. And current MNsure leaders say they weren’t in charge when controversial decisions were made.
James Nord
James Nord covers politics and the Minnesota Legislature.
Lead vendor tells oversight committee that MNsure took control of project last February
Maximus’ view: “MNSure assumed responsibility for defining how the Exchange would function [and] how … vendor solutions would come together to produce the customer experience.”
Dayton blames vendors, but state had direct role in MNsure missteps
The exchange staff last year made a significant change to a key contract, taking more responsibility for building MNsure’s infrastructure.
Dayton blames tech vendor IBM Curam for many of MNsure’s problems
Problems with the product have “seriously hindered Minnesotans’ abilities to purchase health insurance or apply for public health care programs,” the governor wrote.
MNsure navigator: ‘Doing group enrollment events has really worked well’
Rebecca Lozano: “MNsure is probably the biggest deal that I can think of … the biggest impactful change in health care since Medicare.”
Easing a Minnesota family’s worries: Handling bumps and bruises
With Minnesota’s expansion of Medicaid, stressing out over treating bumps and breaks will soon be a thing of the past for Eleta Pierce and her children.
Minnesotans get an extra week for health insurance sign-up
Consumers selecting plans for Jan. 1 now have an extra week — until Dec. 31 — to choose their coverage, MNsure announced on Friday.
Dayton is mum on whether he ordered Todd-Malmlov’s resignation
“I’m not going to comment on that,” Dayton said about whether he ordered former MNsure head April Todd-Malmlov’s departure.
New MNsure CEO apologizes, pledges progress on health exchange problems
Scott Leitz said Wednesday that he will work to fix the glitches and to improve transparency at the organization.
MNsure shakeup: Executive Director Todd-Malmlov out, as problems and political pressure persist
She stepped down Tuesday evening and will be temporarily replaced by senior Human Services official Scott Leitz.
GOP leaders, Dayton representative spar over MNsure performance criticisms
Republican leaders leveled another round of criticisms. A Dayton official said around-the-clock efforts are under way to resolve problems.
MNsure officials heartened by latest health-insurance sign-up data
MNsure officials said their latest statistics make them confident that enrollment will keep pace with their targets for the initial sign-up period.
Just like Medicare expansion, bipartisan efforts needed to fix Obamacare, says former Bush official
Larry Kocot noted that the rollout of Medicare Part D benefits had problems similar to those with the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges.
Split among states on Obamacare ‘fix’ is mostly red vs. blue
Minnesota is in a growing group of states with at least partial Democratic control that have rejected Obama’s proposal for dealing with substandard health plans.
Did Dayton pick ‘winners, losers’ with his health care decision?
The switch to the new law is essential as a transition from a “broken market” to a “fair market,” says economist Jonathan Gruber, a MNsure consultant.
Update: Dayton says Minnesota will not adopt Obamacare ‘fix’
The governor sided with health insurers, saying it would be “unworkable for your members and would likely cause more expensive health coverage for Minnesotans.”
Correction: MNsure topped 90 percent of enrollment goal in first month
When other enrollees are added in, the health exchange did far better than the 38 percent level originally reported.
Obamacare change: Minnesota regulators, officials scrambling after Obama reversal on canceled policies
Officials, insurers and the state’s health exchange are trying to figure out what to do with the relaxed regulations.
MNsure stats: State’s deductible highest in study; enrollment misses October target
A survey of 15 states found Minnesota’s offerings about one-third higher than the overall average.
Even with smaller grant, MNsure finances deemed adequate for 2014
A lower-than-expected federal grant won’t affect operations next year, an exchange official said on Wednesday.