ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton announced Monday that Minnesotans will not be able to keep existing insurance coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).
Last week, the Democrat said he supported President Barack Obama's proposal to let consumers keep coverage in place.
Dayton's decision not to grant a one-year extension for existing plans came after major Minnesota insurance companies blasted the proposal.
When Obama made his announcement, Dayton said extending policies that might not meet all PPACA standards would give affected Minnesotans more time to compare policies on the state's insurance exchange "for options with better coverage at better prices."
But, in a letter to Dayton Monday, the executive director of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans said the delay would cause "major market disruptions" in the individual insurance marketplace and drive up insurance premiums. Julie Brunner of the council also wrote that it would have left almost no time for companies to further revise rates before Jan. 1, when the coverage is set to start.
Dayton acknowledged those concerns in a letter to Brunner.
"Your letter makes clear that making the program changes offered by the president last week would be unworkable for your members and would likely cause more expensive health coverage for Minnesotans," Dayton wrote.
