A new brief from SHADAC, produced with support from the State Health Reform Assistance Network ("State Network") considers the 2014 coverage transitions experienced by Minnesotans who had non-group coverage in 2013 before the ACA went into full effect. This group had new options for obtaining health insurance in 2014--most notably, through the state-based marketplace known as MNsure--and access to new financial incentives made available by the ACA.
The Survey
In 2014, we recontacted people who reported having non-group coverage in the 2013 Minnesota Health Access Survey (MNHA) and asked them about:changes in their insurance coverage from 2013 to 2014; their experience shopping for new insurance plans; the resources they used when searching for new coverage options; their familiarity with some terms related to health insurance plans; and their overall perceived financial protection against high health care costs
The Findings
Of all the individuals who reported non-group coverage in 2013:
- Ninety-eight (98) percent were insured in 2014
- Fifty-nine (59) percent reported having looked for new health insurance coverage in 2014
- Twenty-six (26) percent switched to employer-sponsored insurance in 2014
- Sixteen (16) percent found coverage through a public program in 2014
Of those who were covered by individual insurance in 2013 and who shopped for new health insurance coverage in 2014:
- Ninety-four (94) percent were familiar with MNsure
- Ninety (90) percent) used at least one of the MNsure resources, with 76 percent using the MNsure website, 39 percent using in-person assistance, and 32 percent using the call center
- Twenty-eight (28) percent found their new coverage through MNsure
- Thirty-eight (38) percent reported that signing up for health insurance coverage was somewhat or very difficult, and this percentage jumpted to 79 percent for those who obtained coverage through MNsure