Lawmakers to decide if MNsure gets major audit

A state legislative commission decides this week whether the state's new online health insurance marketplace, MNsure, should get a major, top to bottom audit.

MNsure has received more than $150 million in federal grants and external reviews found poor management and serious software failures. While a change in leadership in December improved MNsure's operations many questions remain about the reasons for the site's troubled operations.

The Legislative Auditor's office has already launched two limited examinations of MNsure -- how it's spent federal dollars and the security of its website.

But the Legislative Audit Commission will decide Wednesday if the auditor should examine additional issues such as:

To what extent has MNsure reduced the number of individuals without health insurance in Minnesota? What contributed to initial enrollment problems, and what additional costs did MNsure incur to address them? Were MNsure's outreach efforts, including its marketing efforts, effective? What has been the experience of Minnesota compared with other states and the federal government?

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