MN Sure enrollment won't begin until November 1, but Minnesotans needing health insurance for 2026 are encouraged to check options now.
MNsure CEO Libby Caulum said Tuesday on the WCCO Morning News that advanced tax credits have reduced rates for about 90,000 enrollees, and who could be in for sticker shock if Congress doesn't extend those credits.
"Premiums are gonna rise by an average of 54% for those 90,000 people that I was just talking about, and over 19,000 Minnesotans will lose access to all of the financial help that's been helping them afford their health insurance," explains Caulum.
Over 167,000 Minnesotans enrolled in 2025 health plans through MNsure. Caulum says they're paying close attention to Congress and the federal government shutdown.
"The thing that we're really tracking very closely is the conversation over the enhanced premium tax credits," Caulum explains. "So that is the affordability mechanism that has made health insurance plans much more affordable over the last few years for MNsure enrollees."
Caulum adds even without the enhanced tax credits, Minnesota families can still save about $600 per month through MNsure.
You can find more information on enrolling for MNsure here.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers are insisting that any deal to end the government shutdown address their health care demands and Republicans are saying those negotiations can happen after the government is funded.
At issue are tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The subsidies, which go to low- and middle-income people who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, are slated to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t extend them. Their expiration would more than double what subsidized enrollees currently pay for premiums next year, according to an analysis by KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.
Democrats have demanded that the subsidies, first put in place in 2021 and extended a year later, be extended again. They also want any government funding bill to reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s mega-bill passed this summer, which don’t go into effect immediately but are already driving some states to cut Medicaid payments to health providers.