MNSure rates released

Minnesota Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman released the individual policy premium rates, which are the lowest average rates in the country for health insurance plans sold through Minnesota’s new health insurance marketplace, MNsure, when it opens on October 1, 2013. 

Friday’s announcement follows a lengthy and thorough review of all of the new policies, which included providing detailed justification for the rates filed to ensure that the premiums charged are reasonable and necessary.  After the review process, Commissioner Rothman approved the rates for 141 plans in total, 78 of which that will be available to individuals. Minnesota’s nationally-recognized, thorough rate review process resulted in premiums for Minnesotans four to 37 percent lower than had originally been filed - providing border-to-border options for consumers across all metal levels.  

Rates for policies available on MNsure for the individual market start as low as $90.59 for a 25 year-old, non-smoker living in the Twin Cities, with options in each metal level reflecting comparable value for the price.  In addition to the competitive rates of the plans offered through MNsure, comprehensive networks are available across the state - 85 percent of Minnesota counties will have 3 or more health insurance companies to choose from - providing border-to-border choice for all Minnesotans.   

In coordination with the information released by the Commerce Department, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has posted on its website a preview by carrier of the networks of clinics, hospitals, and chemical dependency treatment centers that will be available through MNsure. Health plans offered through MNsure are required to meet multiple certification standards, and the state’s Department of Health is responsible for certifying the provider networks for all MNsure carriers. MDH also reviews and approves the benefits being offered by HMO’s through MNsure and the Commerce Department reviews and approves benefits for the non-HMO insurers.

Minnesota is one of 31 states in the country that can deny rates requested by insurance companies based upon whether the rates are justified.  The Department’s actuaries conduct statistical analyses and closely scrutinize the assumptions that health insurance companies use to develop rates. The new plans and rates recently approved that will be available during open enrollment include many consumer protections. Those protections include making all health insurance available to every Minnesotan, even those with pre-existing health problems and expanded benefit sets that provide free preventive care.  Additionally, to protect consumers, Commerce Department staff reviewed all policy forms to ensure they included the consumer protections in state law.

Health plans included in MNsure will be sold during open enrollment which begins October 1, 2013 and coverage will take effect Jan. 1, 2014.  

MNsure plans are categorized as bronze, silver, gold or platinum based on how much of the cost is paid by the insured person. For example, bronze plans are likely to have lower premiums but higher out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, co-pays and coinsurance. In addition to these four “metal levels,” high deductible “catastrophic plans” are available for young adults under age 30 and certain other qualifying individuals. All plans provide coverage for the set of essential health benefits that are now required by law.

Once a consumer decides what plan of coverage he or she wants to purchase, four factors can affect the premium rate: age, area of the state in which the person resides, whether the person uses tobacco, and how many people are covered by the plan. Minnesotans will want to visit MNsure or call the MNsure consumer call center to learn whether tax credits available exclusively through MNsure can be applied to their premiums to further lower their premium payment.

For more information on Minnesota’s health insurance rates or the rate review process in Minnesota, please visit the Commerce Department’s website to view the rates, frequently asked questions, and additional information about the new health care reform changes that begin January 1, 2014.

For more information on the 15 networks approved by the Department of Health visit MDH’s website, http://health.mn.gov/mnsurenetworks, to review computer files of each network, displaying hospitals, clinics and chemical health providers. Each PDF file is organized by provider zip code and alphabetically within zip codes. Consumers will be able to search networks on the MNsure web site beginning October 1.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce is here to help.

Call our Consumer Response Team at 651-539-1600 or toll-free at 1-800-657-3602 (in Greater Minnesota) if you have any questions about your insurance or if you believe you have been a victim of a scam or fraud. 

Sanford Health to implement mandatory employee influenza vaccination policy

(Fargo, ND) - Sanford Health announced today it plans to implement mandatory influenza vaccinations for all Sanford employees and physicians effective with the 2013-2014 influenza season. The organization made the decision in order to maximize patient safety and protect its employees against influenza.

"This decision will protect our patients and also protect our employees during this upcoming influenza season. It's a decision that our physicians support. Sanford Health's physician leadership groups, our Boards of Governors, in all four of our regions have unanimously recommended mandatory influenza vaccinations for all employees," said Paul Carson, MD, medical director, Sanford Health infection prevention and control, Fargo region.

Mandatory influenza vaccinations for health care workers have been endorsed by prestigious health care organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the South Dakota Association of Health Care Organizations (SDAHO). Many health systems across the country are also implementing mandatory influenza vaccinations this year.

Sanford Bismarck has already demonstrated success with influenza vaccinations. The region successfully implemented mandatory influenza vaccinations for its employees in 2010 and has achieved near 100 percent vaccination.

The new policy includes employees and physicians, as well as students, volunteers, contracted workers, locums and vendors. Exceptions to the required immunization will be granted for medical or religious reasons only.

 

3rd Annual Mary Tyrrell Health Walk for Scholarships to be held at UMC

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Mary Tyrrell, a devoted and wife, mother, and nurse, gave tirelessly in support of student-athletes at the University of Minnesota Crookston. The campus invites everyone to remember Mary, support scholarships, and help raise awareness of heart disease during the third annual Mary Tyrrell Health Walk for Scholarships. The walk will be held Wednesday, August 28, 2013, and begins with registration at 5 p.m. in Parking Lot E near Ed Widseth Field on the campus. Registration is $25 for adults and $10 for students 18 and under. All registrants will receive a t-shirt designed especially for the walk. To register or for more information about the walk, contact Tricia Sanders at 218-281-8326.

A free "healthy tailgate" will be served for walk participants. Door prizes will be awarded, and all participants are encouraged to stay for the Student-Athlete Meet and Greet at 6 p.m. and the Golden Eagle Maroon and Gold football game at 6:30 pm.

MNsure to Host Twitter Town Hall Monday, August 12

ST.PAUL, Minn.—Minnesotans with questions about MNsure, the state of Minnesota’s new health insurance marketplace, are invited to join the Executive Director, April Todd-Malmlov, online between 1:00-2:00 p.m. on Monday, August 12, for a Twitter Town Hall. Todd-Malmlov will respond to tweets during a live, hour-long event designed to provide an opportunity for Minnesotans to have specific questions responded to immediately.

“We’re always looking for new and dynamic ways to engage Minnesotans about MNsure,” said Todd-Malmlov, “and Twitter allows us to reach Minnesotans throughout the state. The Town Hall format makes communicating with us quick and easy and Minnesotans can get an answer in real time.”

Todd-Malmlov added that some responses may exceed the 140-character limit imposed by Twitter, in which case direct messaging will be employed. “The MNsure website, http://www.mnsure.org<http://www.mnsure.org>, is available now and is a robust source of information about how the marketplace works and what consumers and small business owners can expect when open enrollment begins October 1. We’ll share links to that information within our responses as well,” she added.

Those with questions for Todd-Malmlov are invited to submit questions from their Twitter accounts using the hashtag #AskApril. Tweets will then be responded to from MNsure’s Twitter account, @MNsure.

MNsure is a one-stop health insurance marketplace where individuals, families and small employers will be able to get quality health coverage at a fair price. MNsure will empower more than 1 million people to compare, select, and get help finding health insurance. It will facilitate enrollment in public health insurance and private insurance products, calculate eligibility for tax credits and allow Minnesotans to shop and compare between insurance products.

Enrollment in MNsure begins October 1, 2013 and runs through March 31, 2014. For more information about MNsure, how it will benefit Minnesota consumers and businesses, and how to provide input or learn more about the stakeholder process visit http://www.mnsure.org<http://www.mnsure.org>.

August is good time to check on your child's vaccinations, health officials say

 Back to school time is fast approaching and state health officials are reminding parents to make sure their children have the benefit of being fully vaccinated against an array of potentially serious childhood diseases. Now is the time to check with your health care provider to make sure your child is up to date on the vaccines he or she needs to start school.

New data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reaffirms that the vast majority of children in Minnesota enter kindergarten fully vaccinated. In 2012-13, 96.1 percent of all kindergarteners had received all of the immunizations required by Minnesota's school immunization law to protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases. The percent of children who entered kindergarten fully vaccinated has remained steady at about 96 percent since 2005, according to data from the CDC and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

In the 2012-13 school year, 1.6 percent of students entering kindergarten in Minnesota were exempt from all vaccines. "It's a small group compared to those who are vaccinated, but it still leaves the door open for a vaccine-preventable disease to sneak in and make a child very sick or worse," said Kris Ehresmann, director of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division at MDH. "We're always striving for 100 percent vaccination coverage."

The remaining 2.3 percent of children were partially vaccinated at the time schools reported compliance with the requirements. Some of these children likely went on to be vaccinated after the date when the data were collected or they obtained a legal exemption to some, but not all vaccines.

The importance of childhood vaccines can be highlighted with the resurgence of pertussis (whooping cough). High vaccination rates with DTaP, the pediatric vaccine that provides pertussis protection, plays an important role in keeping levels of pertussis down in a community. This past year, over 80 cases of pertussis were reported in a small Minnesota community. The outbreak started in a youth mission trip then moved throughout the community and into the schools, affecting mostly adolescents. Even with this significant increase in pertussis disease, the high rates of vaccination in young children prevented spread to the younger age groups.

"It's very reassuring to see that Minnesota has been able to maintain a high vaccination rate for our kindergarteners," said Karen Ernst, co-founder of the Minnesota Childhood Immunization Coalition. "I think it's important for parents out there to know that vaccinating your child is the norm. Parents who choose not to vaccinate are relying on the rest of us to protect their child and are leaving their child susceptible to disease."

Having a high vaccination rate is vital for the health of the population because it prevents disease from spreading. This is especially important for protecting those who can't be vaccinated because of a medical condition or who don't respond to immunization because of a weak immune system.

For copies of your child's vaccination records, talk to your doctor or call the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) at 651-201-5503 or 1-800-657-3970. More information is also available from The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6230a3.htm?s_cid=mm6230a3_em, and Minnesota Public Health Data Access, https://apps.health.state.mn.us/mndata/immunization.