Plan would open MinnesotaCare to more individuals

With three months to go before the next legislative session, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith has been traveling the state to make the case for a health care plan the Legislature rejected earlier this year.

Smith and Human Services Commissioner Emily Piper are four stops into a tour promoting the governor's "MinnesotaCare buy-in" proposal as a solution to surging rates on the individual insurance market. The idea: Allow any Minnesotans who buy their own insurance to pay for a plan through MinnesotaCare, the state's subsidized insurance program for low-income residents. People who don't meet the usual income limits would pay the full premiums for their coverage.

MinnesotaCare now covers about 100,000 Minnesotans, and the governor's office estimates that number would double if it were opened up to people of all income levels. The idea of expanding the program gained traction among some in the Legislature this year as lawmakers scrambled to address rising premiums and a shrinking number of insurance companies on the individual market, particularly in rural areas. DFLers said it would guarantee an option for all Minnesotans, while Republicans were resistant to the idea of state government stepping in to the market.