How To MNsure
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - There is only one Elvis, but there are thousands of self-employed Minnesotans like Elvis impersonator Anthony Shore and his wife Trisha. Both are 32 years old and uninsured.
"I'm a healthy individual, but you never know what's going to happen. So yeah, I don't like it. It makes me feel scared not having insurance," Trisha said.
Starting next week, uninsured and under-insured Minnesotans can buy health care online at MNsure.org. But one of the biggest problems is getting the word out.
Pete Beaudry, 48, pays about $500 a month for his insurance. He says he hasn't heard much about MNsure, but hopes it's a better deal.
"Right now I can pretty much write my own ticket, but if I have to go through a lot of hoops and stuff, I don't really want…the less hoops the better," Beaudry said.
MNsure is trying to make it simple with four levels of coverage. Think of it like Olympic medals: bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. The cheaper the plan, the more you pay in medical costs.
With bronze coverage, the plan pays 60 percent and the customer pays 40 percent. Silver is 70 and 30, gold is 80 and 20 and platinum is 90 and 10 percent.
MNsure says it needs to attract more young people, like Trisha Shore and her husband, to be successful. But their biggest worry will be cost.
"I want to have insurance, it's just so expensive, you know," Trisha said.
MNsure's rates for health care are the lowest in the country, but many will still end up paying more than they do now.
People can start signing up for MNsure on Tuesday.
