Authored by Kendall Moon ([email protected])

Around 16,000 applicants for Minnesota Assistance through MNsure are without health insurance, according to an article by the Star Tribune.

Dating back to January, letters notifying applicants of issues with their applications never got sent out, leaving them unable to fix problems in a timely manner, the article said. Some of the 16,000 will have been without insurance for as long as six months.

Part of the reason for this mishap is because of lack of resources. The article said the MNsure process is supposed to be fully automated, but the mailing issue was one of the systems still left to be worked manually.

When the error was discovered in early January, the problem was thought to be fixed. But the MNsure agency didn’t have enough hands on deck to fully resolve the problem. Officials found some unresolved application problems as recently as last week, according to the Star Tribune.

Thousands of low-income Minnesotans have signed up for MA through MNsure, but many of them have flagged applications, leaving them unable to use their health insurance.  The article said flagged applications could have issues like needing additional information like verifying income, citizenship, tribal membership or Social Security.

According the Star Tribune, an email was sent to county directors of human services offices by the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services Lucinda Jesson that said letters would go out mid-July to those who are still without health coverage. It also said the state would work with insurers to guarantee coverage back to the original application date.

There is an upgrade to MNsure’s current system expected later this month, according to the article.