MN exchange receives federal grant for improvements

Residents trying to shop for insurance benefits through Minnesota’s insurance exchange, MNsure, have encountered challenges since the marketplace opened, but new funding from the federal government may reduce the site’s glitches.

Although the state-run exchanges haven’t experienced as many difficulties as the federal insurance marketplace website, residents in multiple states haven’t been able to complete their applications due to ongoing issues. According to Minnesota Public Radio, one of the biggest challenges is proving residents are who they say they are, as many Minnesotans are blocking access to their credit reports as an identify theft precaution. However, this also restricts MNsure from verifying their identities, which is essential to purchasing a plan through the site. While MNsure goes through a federal service to authenticate enrollees’ identifies, MPR reported the service relies on data from Experian, a credit bureau. 

State officials have asked residents to unfreeze their credit reports to allow them to create a profile, and the MinnPost reported the U.S. Department of Human Services provided the site with $41 million to improve the process. According to the MinnPost, the site has already received approximately $150 million from the federal government, but this new money will go toward improving its infrastructure and enhancing operations through 2014.