MNsure remains 17,000 short of enrollment goal

Despite increased business over the past week, the state's MNsure exchange remained about 17,000 sign-ups shy of its goal for private coverage during the current open enrollment period.

Whatever the numbers, MNsure encouraged shoppers on Friday not to wait, since the deadline is Sunday for people to buy private plans and avoid a tax penalty.

"The difference between last year and this year is really night and day," said Scott Leitz, the MNsure chief executive, in a statement. "Improvements have been made, and MNsure is heading in the right direction."

Health insurance shoppers can satisfy the federal health law's requirement for most to have coverage either by purchasing through MNsure or going directly to an insurance company.

In response to increased demand with the deadline, MNsure's call center has extended hours this weekend from 8 a.m. to midnight on both Saturday and Sunday.

High call volume to MNsure on Friday afternoon meant some people had trouble getting through, said Joe Campbell, a MNsure spokesman. There also was a problem with phone service for a time that wasn't limited to the exchange, Campbell said.

As of Thursday night, 49,238 people had signed up for private coverage through MNsure since open enrollment started Nov. 15. The enrollment goal for the period is 67,000 sign-ups.

But data released this week by the federal government suggest that sign-ups in other states this year have far outpaced Minnesota.

Whereas about 5.4 million signed up for commercial coverage through the HealthCare.gov website during last year's open enrollment, the count for the federal exchange is more than 7.7 million thus far. The federal website serves as the exchange in 36 states.

MNsure officials caution against such comparisons. The pool of potential enrollees in Minnesota is smaller due to state public health insurance programs here plus the state's historically low rate of people who lacked coverage. In addition, the most popular option on the Minnesota exchange for 2014 — Golden Valley-based PreferredOne — isn't offering policies through MNsure for 2015.

While the focus at MNsure right now is private enrollment because of Sunday's deadline, people can use the exchange at any time to enroll in the state's MinnesotaCare and Medicaid public health insurance programs. After factoring open enrollment sign-ups for those programs, MNsure says it has connected a total of more than 140,000 people with coverage between Nov. 15 and Thursday.

Wait times at the MNsure call center this year have averaged less than 3 minutes during the current open enrollment period, MNsure says. Last year, the average was around an hour. The exchange has more people working the phones, MNsure said in a news release, plus more people responding to e-mails and questions on social media.

MNsure officials say the exchange has helped drive Minnesota's uninsured rate to about 5 percent, which is one of the lowest rates in the country.

Christopher Snowbeck • 612-673-4744