Errors with MN exchange causing frustration

Minnesota’s health insurance benefits exchange was able to sign up thousands of residents during the last open enrollment period. But a recently found mistake in the enrollment process, coupled with technical issues with the site, is causing much concern about the state’s marketplace.

According to the Insurance Journal, Deloitte consultants for MNsure, which were brought in to improve the marketplace, have said there are many parts of the exchange’s system that remain up in the air. Brian Keane, one of the consultants, said “There will be a heavy reliance on manual intervention.”

However, failure in manual intervention during the last enrollment period caused 16,000 Minnesotans to not have health coverage. According to ABC affiliate KSTP, thousands of residents were never informed that there was information missing on their applications. The error went unseen for months, the news source reported, because a person was needed to manually start the process of sending out notices to applicants who needed to send in additional information to receive health coverage. While the state said those who are approved with receive retroactive coverage, Gov. Mark Dayton has called the situation “simply unacceptable.”