Minnesota exchange chief promises to meet deadlines

"An individual that goes on line will be able to see what the prices are, based on their age and where they live, what's available to them. They pick that coverage, they'll be able to see what kind of tax credit they get, and instantaneously enroll," Todd-Malmlov said.

For people and small businesses that need more help, insurance agents and brokers or advisers called navigators can assist. Unlike agents and brokers, she said, navigators aren't licensed to recommend which plan a person should choose. But they'll come from organizations that want to be involved in the outreach, such as nonprofits, community groups, chambers of commerce, counties and tribes.

The benefits are set by federal law and will apply to all health care plans, not just those offered through the exchanges. There will be four different cost-sharing levels — bronze, silver, gold and platinum — with different deductibles and copayments. But they'll all offer the same benefits.

Of the 1.3 million Minnesotans expected to get coverage through the exchange, she said, about 700,000 will be eligible for medical assistance. Another 600,000 will be eligible for private coverage, either as individuals or through small employers. Out of the 600,000, about 450,000 will be individual buyers, including about 370,000 who will quality for tax credits. About a third of the 160,000 small-business employees will qualify for tax credits.

About 9 percent of Minnesotans are now uninsured, or about 500,000. The exchange is expected to extend coverage to about 300,000 of them, she said, leaving about 200,000 still uninsured. Some of them are exempt from the federal law's individual mandate, while some will choose to pay penalties of 1 percent to 2.5 percent of their income instead of taking out insurance. But some people who are eligible for free insurance through medical assistance are expected to simply fail to sign up, she said.

A major unresolved question is what becomes of the 130,000 people currently enrolled in the state-subsidized MinnesotaCare program, she said. About 100,000 are expected to become eligible for an expanded Medicaid program, assuming the Legislature approves it. State and federal officials are still discussing how the other 30,000 will be served.

Small businesses with less than 50 employees won't be required to offer insurance, but she said the exchange will provide several incentives and give them a simpler way to cover their employees. Companies can elect to pay a specific portion of the costs and then let their employees choose the plan that's best for them. Businesses with less than 25 employees and average wages of $50,000 a year or less will qualify for tax credits they can get only through the exchange, she said.

Todd-Malmlov, a graduate of Beloit College in Wisconsin who earned a master's in public health from the University of Minnesota, worked for UnitedHeallth Group and the Minnesota Department of Health before she took on her current challenge.

"This is fun. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else," she said.