We’re all busy. We all have too much going on. It can, at times, be hard to find the time to get everything on our “to do” list done.
But those who shop for insurance through the Minnesota state exchange MNsure are going to have a little extra time (this year).
Let’s start with the changes: The Federal open enrollment period (OEP) was slashed from 12 weeks to 6 weeks this year, running from November 1 to December 15 this year.
Anyone who has ever had to sign up for health benefits through an employer knows what a hassle it can really be: You have to figure out how much coverage you need, what you can afford for a deductible. This is just for Health Insurance. If Vision, Dental, Hearing, etc. are offered it gets exponentially more time-consuming.
The fact that the enrollment period was slashed makes things even more complicated. Other than a shorter time frame for people to make a decision, it also places a larger burden on support personnel for the state run exchange. During last open enrollment over 70,000 Minnesotans asked and received help from either a broker or a navigator. Brokers helped with the creation of an account and applying and enrolling. Navigators did the same as a Broker but specialize in MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance enrollment.
This would be a huge amount of people to try and help in just 6 weeks. But worry not: There will be extra time to enroll.
The CEO of MNsure, Allison O’Toole had this to say; “Shopping for health care coverage is complex, and we heard loud and clear from stakeholders and consumers that Minnesotans needed more time to shop than the federal open enrollment period allowed. The additional four weeks will ensure that Minnesotans will have the necessary time to get help from assisters and find the coverage that is right for them.”
After the normal enrollment period Minnesota will be offering a Special Enrollment Period. This Special Enrollment Period will run from December 16th of this year until January 14th of 2018.
(Further information can be found in the MNsure Press Release)
If you will be shopping for or are interested in shopping for Insurance from MNsure, you can find more information at their website MNsure.org.
