Mar 27 2014
Some uninsured Americans, among them young adults, are weighing the costs of coverage against potential penalties with only days to go until the end of open enrollment for most people. Meanwhile, Minnesota's health insurance exchange hits its enrollment target.
Kaiser Health News: Young But Not So Invincible In California
Sometimes called "young invincibles," these adults between the ages of 18 and 34 supposedly see themselves as invulnerable and health insurance as unnecessary. But like Cabrera, many don't view themselves as invincible at all – just strapped for cash and unsure of their options (de Marco and Hernandez, 3/26).
Seattle Times: Buy Insurance Or Pay Penalty? Some In State Weighing Costs
Pay the penalty, or buy health insurance you don't really want? That's the dilemma some uninsured Americans face as the March 31 deadline to enroll in a health-insurance plan creeps closer (Stiffler, 3/25).
Pioneer Press: MNsure Passes 135,000 Enrollment Target; Commercial Plans Lag
MNsure leaders touted a key milestone Tuesday as Minnesota's health insurance exchange hit its overall enrollment goal. More than 136,000 people have enrolled in coverage through the exchange, according to tallies released by MNsure (Snowbeck, 3/25).
Minnesota Public Radio: MNsure Hits Enrollment Goal; Most Opt For Government Program
Nearly 137,000 Minnesotans have enrolled in coverage through the state's online health insurance marketplace, MNsure officials said Tuesday. MNsure's board set a goal of 135,000 enrollments about two weeks after the troubled website went live in October. But the number of Minnesotans who enrolled in private insurance plans is much lower than MNsure officials expected, and the number of those who enrolled in government plans is higher. There's real money at stake in the eventual enrollment mix, as MNsure's future funding will come from a percentage of the premium dollars paid to commercial health plans (Stawicki, 3/25).
Minnesota Public Radio: MNsure Reaches Health Coverage Enrollment Goal, Sort Of
MNsure, the state health care insurance exchange, has exceeded its "goal" of signing up 135,000 people by April 1. It's good news, of course, that so many people will now be covered by insurance. But it's hardly the "See? We told you so" goal that the headlines today might suggest. The 135,000 goal was set after MNsure's clunky rollout last October. Previously, the agency had set a goal as high as 178,000 people enrolled for commercial coverage and up to 40,000 for small business coverage (Collins, 3/25).
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 This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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Families scramble to pay five-figure bills as clock ticks on promised preauthorization reforms