• Assurant
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield
• PreferredOne

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• UCare

• Supplemental Medigap Insurance
• Medicare Advantage Insurance
• Humana

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• SecureHorizons by UnitedHealthcare
• Unicare
• Universal American
• WellCare

Duties and Powers of the Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange

2. The duties and powers of the exchange

The proposed exchange would have the following responsibilities:

• Provide education, outreach, and technical assistance for individuals and employers related to health insurance options and the advantages of paying for health insurance through a Section 125 plan;
• Provide education, outreach, and technical assistance for employers establishing Section 125 plans;
• Develop state of the art tools for helping consumers navigate the market, such as tools that compare available health insurance options based on factors that the consumer chooses (e.g., premium, deductible, cost sharing, provider network, or covered benefits);
• Provide online, telephone, written, and in-person assistance to consumers and employers purchasing health insurance through the exchange;
• Provide information and enrollment assistance to people who may be eligible for MinnesotaCare or Medical Assistance;
• Act as a "payment aggregator" for funds withheld from employee paychecks and transmit payments to health plans. This function would reduce burden on employers who might otherwise have to send payments to many different health plans on behalf of their employees who purchase individual coverage through a Section 125 plan. Instead, the exchange would send the employer a bill for the aggregate amount of premiums owed by employees who are purchasing coverage through a Section 125 plan and the exchange would be responsible for making payments to health plans on behalf of enrollees.

The exchange could be given responsibilities related to other health care reform initiatives as well. For example, if a system of premium subsidies based on affordability is enacted, the exchange could administer the determination of eligibility for premium subsidies, collect subsidy payments from the state, and remit payments (enrollee premiums plus subsidies) to health plans. Depending on the effective date of the subsidy availability, this function could be phased in over time (in other words, the exchange would not necessarily need to perform this function when it first becomes operational). The exchange could also serve as the entity responsible for implementing health care payment system reforms.

After initial start-up costs, the exchange should be expected to become self-sustaining. It would need the power to establish assessments on premiums to fund the cost of administering the exchange.