Now that the Minnesota health insurance exchange MNsure has been signed into law, the governor must appoint six members to the board that will certify and select health insurance plans to be offered through the exchange.
Applications are now available through the secretary of state's appointments website.
The exchange, designed to help Minnesota individuals, families and small employers to find affordable health insurance and access tax credits or assistance to help pay for coverage, is supposed to start enrolling members in October. Supporters expect 1.3 million Minnesotans to use the exchange by 2016.
The appointed board members will represent different constituencies involved in the exchange:
- One Representative of Consumers eligible for individual coverage (Initial Term is 2 years)
- One Representative of Consumers eligible for Public Health Coverage (4 years)
- One Small Employer Representative (2 years)
- One Health Administration & Finance Representative (4 years)
- One Public Health Program Representative (3 years)
- One Representative of Health Policy Issues related to Small Group and Individual Markets (3 years)
There's fine print, too:
- Within one year prior to appointment to the board, members cannot have been employed by, be a member of the board of directors, or be a representative of a health carrier, institutional health care provider, or other entity providing health care, navigator, insurance producer, or other entity in the business of selling items or services of significant value to or through the Minnesota Insurance Marketplace. For purposes of this paragraph, “health care provider or entity” does not include an academic institution.
- Members may not currently serve as a lobbyist as defined under section 10A.01, subdivision 21.
- No board member shall have a spouse who is an executive of a health carrier.
- Applicants are required to file an Economic Interest Form with the Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board at the time of application. Regardless of whether any of the above limitations are addressed in the Economic Interest Form, applicants must specifically address whether they are in compliance with any of the specific limitations listed above.
The board's mission:
The Board is responsible for operating the Minnesota Insurance Marketplace. This includes establishing the budget for the marketplace; establishing bylaws, policies, and procedures, governing the operations of the Minnesota Insurance Marketplace; creating certification requirements that must be met by insurance providers; establishing policies and procedures to gather public comment; establishing the policies and procedures for the operation of a navigator program, in-person assister program, call center, and customer service provision for the Minnesota Insurance marketplace.