Coverage Gains After the Affordable Care Act Among the Uninsured in Minnesota

We determined whether and how Minnesotans who were uninsured in 2013 gained health insurance coverage in 2014, 1 year after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded Medicaid coverage and enrollment.

Insurance status and enrollment experiences came from the Minnesota Health Insurance Transitions Study (MH-HITS), a follow-up telephone survey of children and adults in Minnesota who had no health insurance in the fall of 2013.

ACA had a tempered success in Minnesota. Outreach and enrollment efforts were effective; one half of those previously uninsured gained coverage, although many reported difficulty signing up (nearly 62%). Of the previously uninsured who gained coverage, 44% obtained their coverage through MNsure, Minnesota's insurance marketplace. Most of those who remained uninsured heard of MNsure and went to the Web site. Many still struggled with the enrollment process or reported being deterred by the cost of coverage.

Targeting outreach, simplifying the enrollment process, focusing on affordability, and continuing funding for in-person assistance will be important in the future.