FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jenni Bowring-McDonough
Media Relations Coordinator

ST. PAUL, Minn.-Following an extension of the enrollment deadline for January 1 coverage, MNsure today announced to the MNsure Board of Directors that as of Tuesday, 23,797 Minnesotans have enrolled into private coverage since open enrollment began and that nearly 50,000 Minnesotans have obtained affordable, comprehensive health coverage through MNsure for January 1 coverage.

"Today's enrollment announcement reflects an incredible amount of work and long hours devoted to improving the consumer experience with MNsure," said MNsure CEO Scott Leitz. "However, our goal remains to get every Minnesotan covered. Five percent of Minnesotans still need health insurance, and we will continue to do all we can to make that happen throughout open enrollment and beyond."

MNsure announced Monday that the enrollment deadline for January 1 coverage has been extended to Saturday, December 20, at 4:30 p.m. The change comes at a time of historic high interest in MNsure and as many health insurance companies recently extended their own enrollment deadlines for January 1 coverage.

The MNsure Board was also briefed on enrollment activities through the first weeks of the open enrollment period.

Today's report included:

Strong Enrollment

• The MNsure marketplace has continued to be stable and 49,366 Minnesotans have successfully enrolled in comprehensive, affordable health insurance coverage.
• 23,797 have enrolled in a qualified health plan, 7,681 have enrolled in MinnesotaCare and 17,888 have enrolled in Medical Assistance.
• Although open enrollment is underway for private health insurance until February 15, Minnesotans who are eligible for MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance can enroll year-round.

High Public Interest - Contact Center Fielding Thousands of Calls

• The MNsure Contact Center received more than 20,000 calls in the days leading up to the original December 15 deadline, with an average wait time of about 30 minutes on December 15.
• Between November 15 and December 15, 2013, the Contact Center received 43,395 calls; by contrast, between November 15 and December 15, 2014, the Contact Center received 113,858 calls--an increase in call volume of 282 percent. The average wait time decreased within these same timeframes by 622 percent.
• Contact Center hours returned to regular hours of operation on Tuesday: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

MNsure in the Community

• MNsure launched "Children's Week" on Monday, one of many theme weeks to come throughout open enrollment. Children's Week highlights the importance of ensuring that children are covered and encourages parents to explore MNsure.

Free, in-person assistance is available for Minnesotans who have questions about MNsure or who need help with enrollment. Certified navigators and brokers are available throughout the state and can be found on /mnsure/help/find-assister/index.jspMNsure's online assister directory.

Open enrollment for 2015 coverage began November 15, 2014, and ends February 15, 2015. Minnesotans eligible for Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare can enroll year round. As of May 2014, 95 percent of Minnesotans have health coverage-the highest percentage in state history.