More than 16,000 people have applied for public and private health insurance through MNsure during a special enrollment period launched late last month in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MNsure, which is the government-run exchange for individuals to obtain health insurance, launched special enrollment so uninsured people could get covered with the public health crisis.
Although the program was designed to potentially reduce the number of uninsured residents at a time when many might need health care, it appears that a number of newly unemployed people are among those signing up.
Health exchange users don't specify why they are using MNsure, but more than 1,800 people have been eligible to enroll in private health plans because of certain "life events," a category that includes job loss.
"We do not have a breakdown between individuals in that situation vs. other life events like having a baby, adding a spouse, etc.," a MNsure spokeswoman wrote by e-mail.
Since the special enrollment period started March 23, about 16,600 people have used the MNsure system to enroll in private coverage or apply for one of the state's public health insurance programs. About 12,000 people have been routed to the state's Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare programs, which cover lower-income state residents.
About 4,500 have enrolled in private coverage, including about 2,700 through the special enrollment period for the COVID-19 emergency.
"I think the much higher number of people enrolling in public programs is a function of ... jobs being lost as the economy slows dramatically," Joshua Haberman, an insurance agent who is president of the Minnesota Association of Health Underwriters, said in an e-mail. "I do not think anyone should be surprised that there are far fewer people who are able to afford [private health plans] when the economy and jobs are under this much strain."
