Frustration with Minn. insurance exchange mounts as officials race to remedy problems

Problems with Minnesota's online health insurance exchange -- long wait times, technology problems and security issues -- are getting extra scrutiny as officials push to fix the website ahead of the new year when coverage is slated to begin for many.

Minnesota Public Radio: Dayton: MNsure Issues Need To Be Fixed 
The ongoing technological problems that continue to plague the state's online health insurance marketplace should have been resolved by now, Gov. Mark Dayton said today. About a dozen states run their own health care exchanges and Dayton estimates that Minnesota's performance ranks it somewhere in the middle. The governor said he understands it's a complicated project but the clock is ticking (Stawicki, 12/11).

Minnesota Public Radio: Experts Criticize Security Holes In MNsure
When Minnesota's online health insurance marketplace unveiled its website in October, state I.T. officials described MNsure's security measures as "state of the art." But Internet security experts have identified flaws in MNsure's website that could compromise sensitive consumer data. They say the site is vulnerable to "rogue access points," devices that can masquerade as a standard wireless connection to the Internet (Stawicki, 12/12).

Pioneer Press: MNSure Deadline Looms As Frustration Builds; Callers Seeking Help Wait
With a deadline fast approaching, frustration is building among many MNsure users as people seek final answers about what sort of health insurance coverage they'll have next year. Lacking answers, a man in Burnsville says he's stocked up on blood-thinning medications, just in case his coverage details aren't worked out by January (Snowbeck, 12/12). 

The Star Tribune: Gov. Dayton Frets Over MNsure Glitches
Worries about Minnesota's new online health insurance marketplace are keeping Gov. Mark Dayton awake at night. The state has just three weeks to get the MNsure site ready for Jan. 1, when Minnesotans who have signed up will expect to begin using their new health insurance and the new federal requirements to carry health insurance or face a penalty start to take effect. As many as one out of every five Minnesotans eventually may obtain their health insurance through MNsure, the state health exchange that is supposed to make shopping for health insurance cheaper and easier. But in the 2 1/2 months since the MNsure website launched, it has been plagued by glitches, crashes and long waits for customer service (Brooks and Crosby, 12/12).