Health plan shoppers now in buying mode as MNsure closes in on deadline
On Monday, the number of online shopping sessions at the MNsure website hit its highest point since last month's deadline for coverage that started
The exchange also is seeing a growing number of website users who have put items in their online "shopping baskets" actually complete their purchases.
"We are ahead of where we were last year at this time," O'Toole said during a MNsure board meeting in
Last year, 114,810 people signed up for individual policies via MNsure during an open enrollment period that stretched into early February. As of Tuesday, the sign-up tally for 2018 coverage was 111,667 people.
MNsure doesn't have a goal in terms of sign-ups, but rather a budget projection based on an estimate for the number of people are actually buying 2018 coverage.
Since open enrollment began in November, exchange officials have said repeatedly the shopping volume thus far suggests MNsure is on track to meet or possibly exceed the current goal for paying customers, which is roughly 4 percent more than the number buying 2017 coverage.
They have noted a relatively large share of those signing up for coverage are new to the exchange, saying it's a good sign for growth. As of Tuesday, the enrollment tally included 30,259 new enrollees.
The optimism about meeting or exceeding the budget goal continued Wednesday, said spokesman
Analysts attributed the decline to the shorter open enrollment period plus uncertainty about how efforts to repeal and replace the ACA would impact the market -- while also noting that it wasn't as steep a drop as expected.
On Wednesday, MNsure board chairman
The volume of people buying through the exchange has been relatively low because of the state's MinnesotaCare program. In addition,
While the volume of people buying through MNsure for 2018 seems to be holding steady or growing, it's unclear what enrollment activity has been like in the off-exchange market. Across the country, relatively small enrollment numbers is one reason some insurers have backed away from the market, which also has been the source of red ink for many carriers.
Overall,
MNsure will extend hours at its call center through Sunday to handle an expected surge in sign-up activity.
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