via electronic delivery

Senator Tony Lourey

75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Capitol, Room G-12
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
(651) 296-0293

Dear Senator Lourey,

As the recently appointed Republican House members to the MNsure Legislative Oversight Committee
(LOC), we write to request that an LOC hearing be held prior to the February 15 enrollment deadline. As
you know, the previous LOC hearing was led by the former House Chair, Rep. Atkins, in November 2014.
Given that it has been almost three full months since the previous hearing, we believe a meeting as soon as
possible is important for several reasons.
First, MNsure will be completing its second open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA)
on February 15. Much like the 2014 Enrollment Period, MNsure will likely miss its enrollment goal for this
year, given MNsures current enrollment numbers. The negative impact to MNsures financial outlook as
a result is concerning. More importantly, however, lawmakers need to understand whether the possible
enrollment deficit will result in leaving hardworking families without access to affordable health coverage.
Second, the Governors budget includes over $10 million for continued development of the MNsure IT
system The LOC has a responsibility to understand where this need is coming from and why Minnesota
taxpayers need to pay more instead of MNsures vendors and management bearing the cost of completing
a system that has already cost over $180 million in taxpayer dollars. Despite cosmetic improvements to the
website, MNsures technology remains deeply flawed. This is evidenced by the Legislative Auditors
November Report on public program eligibility errors that result in significant waste, as well as consumer
stories that suggest MNsure remains unable to deliver accurate enrollment information to the consumers
insurer of choice.
Third, we must end the practice of wishing away the damage that MNsure is causing to Minnesotans. During
a committee hearing on January 27, a Democrat state representative revealed that, while consumers suffered
under a dysfunctional website and misguided MNsure management, Democrat Legislative Leadership and
Governor Dayton prevented any attempt to help those struggling to find affordable health insurance:

[T]he DFL Leadership of the House didn't want anything hitting the floor with the
words "MNsure" or part of it in it we were able to write a bill that we think kind
of did it without mentioning the words, and the House passed it with very strong
bipartisan support, but by the time it got to the Senate somebody realized that it
dealt with MNsure, and the Governor and the Senate just totally stopped it...

The new LOC will show leadership by addressing problems and bringing solutions to light.
We look forward to working with the Senate during regular and fruitful meetings of the MNsure LOC over
the next two years.
Sincerely,

Representative Greg Davids

Chair, Minnesota House Taxes Committee
Preston, Minnesota

Representative Joe Hoppe

Chair, Minnesota House Commerce &
Regulatory Reform Committee
Chaska, Minnesota

Representative Tara Mack

Chair, House Health and Human Services Reform
Apple Valley, Minnesota