(St. Paul, MN) — A legislative audit released today (THU) shows that the state has overspent on coverage for ineligible people through MNSure by more than $115 million. The report shows around 49-percent of MNsure enrollees were inelegible for the benefits they received from January through May last year. Republican Senator Michelle Benson of Ham Lake says Governor Dayton, who proclaimed today MNsure Enrollment Day, is “tone-deaf” and she’s calling on the governor and others to do something about “the continued incompetence of MNsure.” Here is Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Johnson Piper’s full statement about the audit:
Accurately determining eligibility is critical to ensuring the integrity of Minnesota’s publicly funded health care programs. Making sure qualifying Minnesotans have access to the health coverage they need is a priority as the Department of Human Services promotes better health in our state. We appreciate the Legislative Auditor’s Office for taking a comprehensive look at eligibility determinations for public health care programs in the new eligibility system. While we fully acknowledge the problems that existed during this audit period, and that some of those problems persist today, we are concerned that the error rate for eligibility determinations in the audit is overstated. The department agrees with the auditor’s overall findings and will use the recommendations as a guide for changes. As the audit documents, we experienced problems with eligibility determination in the early period of implementation, and we continue to address those issues. We have already begun to implement some of the recommendations, including IT fixes scheduled to be deployed next month. We look forward to working closely with our county partners, the Legislature, and the Minnesotans we serve as we work to make improvements moving forward.