MNsure to launch 3-month special enrollment period in February

Minnesota's health insurance exchange MNsure will reopen for a three-month enrollment period starting Feb. 16.

President Joe Biden announced a nationwide "special enrollment period" for states who use the federal health exchange, healthcare.gov, in an effect to cut down on the number of uninsured people during the ongoing pandemic.

While Minnesota runs its own health exchange, MNsure, it's also opening to run in parallel with the federal program, and will be open for enrollees from Feb. 16 to May 17.

"If you are uninsured, or have coverage outside of MNsure, you can come to MNsure.org between February 16 and May 17 to enroll in a health insurance plan. COVID-19 is still with us, so having access to comprehensive health care coverage is critical at this time," said MNsure CEO Nate Clark.

The health exchange ran a similar special enrollment period in March 2020, the start of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Minnesota.

During that period, more than 24,500 Minnesotans signed up for healthcare coverage that lasted through the end of 2020.

MNsure's annual enrollment period, which ended Dec. 22, 2020, saw a 4 percent increase in enrollments compared to 2019.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported this week that the number of people without health insurance in Minnesota actually declined slightly in 2020, despite the onset of the pandemic leading to a raft of job losses across the state.

Around 40,000 Minnesotans fell off employer-based insurance, but a higher number signed up for individual insurance via MNsure, or were eligible for Medicaid or MinnesotaCare.

You can find more information on how to sign up for MNsure right here.