Minnesota governor Mark Dayton wants to push the margins of health insurance to provide subsidized coverage for the state’s working poor.
Duluth News Tribune reported that the state is mulling the provision of health plans through MinnesotaCare to individuals who do not receive federal subsidies on their current coverage.
The “public option” plan will be sold through MNsure and is expected to compete with private insurance.
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“This public option could offer better benefits than many policies presently on commercial markets,” said Dayton in his State of the State address. It would include “more options for people to keep their doctors and clinics and less expensive coverage than what is available today,” he added.
According to the report, Minnesotans can avail of the public option for an average price of $469 per month, which is 12% less than the 2017 private insurance premiums available in the state.
The plan would come with a $12 million start up price tag. It could be available by 2018 if state legislature approves it this April.
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