Minnesota Council of Nonprofits launches health insurance option for members

Oct. 30--There's a new health insurance option on the market for Minnesota nonprofits.

The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits announced BenefitsMN, an association health plan, earlier this week. The plan is the first of its kind exclusively for nonprofits and is open to more than 3,000 Minnesota-based organizations, the advocacy group said.

"Members have asked about creating a nonprofit association plan for medical insurance benefits for twenty years," said Jon Pratt, executive director of the council. "Finally, with this launch, we have cracked one part of the health care nut to strengthen our members' viability and increase their capacity to serve all Minnesotans."

Associated health plans have existed in Minnesota for decades to allow groups, typically in related industries or professions, to join together to purchase insurance plans. Earlier this year, President Donald Trump's administration updated the rules governing associated plans to make it easier for groups to form them.

Nonprofits make up about 15 percent of the state workforce. By partnering to negotiate for insurance, the council hopes to drive down the cost of benefits for members.

BenefitsMN insurance will be available in January of 2020. Details are available at www.BenefitsMN.org.

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