With about 10 days to go before the sign-up deadline, MNsure has a ways to go to reach its enrollment target for private health plans.
The state's health exchange said Friday that just under 46,000 people have signed up for private coverage through MNsure so far during the current open enrollment period.
The MNsure budget expected that 67,000 people would enroll in private plans between Nov. 15 and Feb. 15.
To pump up last-minute enrollment, MNsure says it has scheduled more than 250 outreach and sign-up events between now and the deadline. In addition, the exchange will have extended hours at its call center next week and weekend.
"February 15 is the last day to enroll in coverage for this year," said Scott Leitz, the MNsure chief executive, in a statement. "There will be no extensions, so please do not wait until the last minute to enroll."
MNsure is an option for people who buy coverage as individuals. Those consumers also have until Feb. 15 for purchasing individual insurance policies outside the exchange, directly from health insurance companies.
People can use the exchange to enroll in the state's Medicaid and MinnesotaCare programs, although the Feb. 15 deadline does not apply to public health insurance applicants.
Budget targets aside, MNsure officials have claimed success in driving down the share of Minnesotans who lack health insurance to its lowest rate in state history at 5 percent. After factoring sign-ups for public insurance programs, the exchange has connected nearly 125,000 people with coverage during the current open enrollment.