ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The call center for Minnesota's new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) health insurance marketplace will be operational Sept. 3 to help prepare consumers for buying coverage when open enrollment begins a month later, officials said Wednesday.
MNsure's executive director, April Todd-Malmlov, updated board members on customer assistance plans for the exchange, where starting Oct. 1 about 1.3 million Minnesotans are expected to get their coverage, including 300,000 who don't currently have health insurance.
Todd-Malmlov said the goal is "a seamless customer service experience for everyone using MNsure" with "one common front door" for everyone using the system, whether they're individual purchasers or smaller businesses seeking coverage for their workers.
The call center will stress "first call resolution," she said, trying to get as many people as possible the information they need on the first try, without transferring them multiple times. Another goal is "rapid access to a live person" to limit time spent on hold. And for people whose questions are too complicated for the call center operators to handle, she said the goal will be to connect them with the right person or outside agency as directly as possible.
Todd-Malmlov said MNsure already has taken about 600 applications for the 35 initial call center positions, and may add more jobs this fall if they're needed.
