It was a painful Wednesday in a state long known for its world-class medical care and nation-leading health reforms.
In measured, almost clinical tones, outside experts called in to review the state's new MNsure insurance marketplace delivered a grim diagnosis of the fledgling website's condition. Just two months before another key deadline to sign up for 2014 coverage, MNsure has deep technical design flaws, unreliable functionality and a woefully understaffed call center — problems that make it unlikely initial enrollment projections will be met.
Optum's review of the site's governance, which covered the time period before interim executive director Scott Leitz was installed, also concluded that "structure and process is nonexistent" in program management and that decisionmaking was made in "crisis mode."
The problems plaguing the site weren't altogether surprising given the high-profile news coverage of MNsure's mounting problems as consumers raced late last month to meet an end-of-the-year deadline for coverage beginning Jan. 1. Still, the big picture provided by Optum, a subsidiary of Twin Cities-based UnitedHealth Group, was sobering.
Even though the state has spent millions (mostly from federal grants) building its customized marketplace, it now appears even more is needed to make the site reasonably functional.
No estimates on how much it will cost to fix MNsure were offered during the Wednesday board discussion of Optum's pro bono "end to end" review. But the price tag will be substantial for this in-demand expertise.
According to a Dec. 29 MedCity News report, Maryland hired Optum "on an emergency basis for a two-month, $4 million stint" to fix its troubled insurance marketplace. Timelines given Wednesday by Optum, which has cultivated a healthy business repairing these online marketplaces, to fix or overhaul MNsure ranged from 16 to 24 months.
One note to state officials evaluating MNsure options: A "large infusion" of federal funds is reportedly helping to pay for Maryland repairs. Whether similar aid is available for MNsure is unclear, but this is an avenue to be promptly pursued given current demands on the state budget.