Q: I keep hearing about MNsure’s Open Enrollment period for health insurance this fall, and I am not sure if I need to do anything to keep or renew my daughter’s insurance coverage. She has Medical Assistance, and it pays for some of her therapy costs that our private insurance does not cover. It also pays for a Personal Care Assistance (PCA) services, a trained person who helps my daughter with day-to-day things like eating, getting dressed and redirecting some of her behaviors. My daughter has received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits through Social Security because of her disability since she was 18 years old.
A: Because your daughter has disability-based Medical Assistance, you do not need to do anything during MNsure’s Open Enrollment period to renew or keep her coverage. People who have disability-based Medical Assistance must renew their coverage once a year, when they receive a letter and renewal form in the mail from their county. MNsure’s Open Enrollment period is for people who want to make changes to the health plan they bought through the MNsure exchange. To learn more about MNsure’s Open Enrollment period, visit their website at www.mnsure.org. If you have questions about your daughter’s Medical Assistance benefits or renewing her coverage, call us toll free at 833-450-1494 or visit our website at www.arcminnesota.org and submit an “Ask an Advocate”.