States Working To Fix Hobbled Health Care Websites
The state that served as a template for President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act had so much trouble coordinating with the federal government that it became a model of another sort: ineptitude.
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The state that served as a template for President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act had so much trouble coordinating with the federal government that it became a model of another sort: ineptitude.
Minnesota's health insurance exchange is up and running and enrolling people in coverage on the first day of open enrollment. MNsure's executive director, Scott Leitz, told reporters the system got off to a successful start Saturday morning without any major issues that they're aware of.
With open enrollment just 10 days away, officials racing to get Minnesota's health insurance exchange ready for its second act said Wednesday that there are risks ahead and they'll need all the remaining time for final testing.
The cost of getting health insurance through MNsure next year is going up -- but it will still be among the lowest in the country. Minnesotans who get insurance through the state's health exchange can enroll for next year beginning Nov. 15. Even though the rates are low for some people, others could see big rate hikes.
The threat of Ebola in the United States has hospitals in the Twin Cities making sure they're prepared for a potential case here. Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. began making an Ebola plan right after they heard about the outbreak in West Africa this summer.
This week, the Minnesota Commerce Department is getting set to release a snapshot of the 2015 MNsure rates for individual policy holders. With PreferredOne severing ties with MNSure, Dave Racer of the National Association of Health Underwriters says the new rates may come with some sticker shock.
Legislative Auditor James Nobles says a candidate's request that he review rate-setting practices for Minnesota's health insurance exchange is better suited for others.
After more problems at Minnesota's online health care exchange, the Republican candidate for Minnesota governor says if he's elected, he'll make drastic changes to MNsure. And Jeff Johnson is pressing Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton to do more to stop premium hikes for small businesses. MNsure's largest and lowest cost provider -- PreferredOne -- said this week it's dropping out of the health exchange for financial reasons.
The insurance company with the lowest rates and most customers on Minnesota's health care exchange has told state officials that it's pulling out of MNsure for 2015. The decision by Golden Valley-based PreferredOne deals a major blow to the exchange as the next open enrollment period approaches.
The Town Hall meeting is in response to a federal investigation into allegations of misconduct within the Minneapolis VA.
Top VA leaders say there is a federal investigation looking into allegations of misconduct within the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. The director of the Minneapolis VA health care system said the Office of Inspector General is interviewing whistleblowers who say they were pressured into falsifying patient records at the hospital.
A federal judge has denied a request to stop an election that could unionize thousands of individuals who provide in-home health care to the elderly and disabled. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis said Wednesday he won't interfere in an ongoing election, based on fear of its potential outcome.
The shortage of doctors, nurses and medical equipment is making the Ebola outbreak in West Africa difficult to contain. Tuesday, the United Nations Secretary General urged the international community to step up and help out.
Michelle Williams' energy is ever-present. And so is her limp. The online auction manager never stops moving around her 4,000 square-foot warehouse. But when running her forklift became more than just a pain, Williams realized she needed help. "I like to have fun," Williams said.
There is increasing pressure on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. A new report from the VA's inspector general says hundreds of veterans are awaiting care at a VA hospital in Phoenix. The average wait time is almost four months for a first appointment.
UnitedHealth Group's first-quarter net income slid 8 percent as funding cuts to a key product and costs imposed by the health care overhaul dented the health insurer's performance. The Minnetonka company said the overhaul and government budget cuts added about 35 cents per share in costs during the quarter.
Gov. Mark Dayton has lashed out at critics of Minnesota's health insurance exchange, accusing them of waging a propaganda campaign to destroy it. The Democratic governor spoke to reporters after GOP members of a legislative oversight committee said they wanted to use a hearing Wednesday to raise questions about the troubled launch of MNsure last October.
MNsure's interim CEO says Minnesota's online health insurance exchange is stable, secure and successful. According to an advance copy of his testimony before a congressional panel Thursday, Scott Leitz says it's not news that MNsure's rollout was rocky last October.
In Minnesota, at least one group opposed to Obamacare encouraged Minnesotans not to enroll and encouraged them to refuse to sign up on any website. Gov. Mark Dayton calls it inexplicable. "It's been a barrage of criticism all the way. It's been people cheering when it has problems. It's been telling people not to enroll, which i think was very ill-advised," Dayton said.
A total of 169,251 Minnesota residents signed up for health insurance coverage by the end of the first open enrollment period, state officials said Tuesday, exceeding the goal set after the troubled launch of the website in October.
People waiting for a scorecard on a key insurance enrollment measure under Minnesota's health care marketplace will have to wait for results. MNsure interim director Scott Leitz said Friday it will take officials time to say how many previously uninsured people have obtained coverage for the first time. Leitz says some statistics are being kept or gleaned from enrollment forms, but it's not known how many of the 400,000 previously uninsured Minnesotans have enrolled.
Minnesota's new health care exchange celebrated a milestone Tuesday as officials announced they have exceeded their goal by enrolling over 136,700 Minnesotans in insurance plans with less than a week to go in the inaugural open enrollment period.
A federal agency is suing a Minneapolis area home health care provider for allegedly discriminating against a former employee with a disability. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit Monday against Baywood Home Care.
HealthPartners is alerting some of its customers about a privacy breach that happened back in 2008. According to HealthPartners officials, information of some customers was compromised between 2008 and 2010 when an employee shared files with a family member in order to get help formatting them for reports.
Minnesota's new health insurance exchange is making a final push to sign up so-called "young invincibles" by a March 31 deadline for open enrollment. Exchange chief Scott Leitz on Thursday announced a series of events for the coming week aimed at young adults ages 26 to 34.
