Sponsor of original MNsure bill proposes overhaul

A Senate committee has approved a bill that would overhaul how MNsure is structured.

The bill sponsored by state Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, would turn the quasi-governmental agency that operates the state's health insurance website into a traditional state agency accountable to the Legislature.

Lourey was the sponsor of the law that created MNsure in 2013. At the time, Lourey thought the MNsure site would be up and running faster if lawmakers allowed the organization to bypass some rules.

Today, Lourey says he's been convinced otherwise.

"I've done the hard soul searching to go back and say,'you know, I think we got that wrong,'" Lourey said. "We would be better served by a straight-up agency model with clear lines of authority."

Lourey's bill would also require MNsure to submit a two-year budget proposal to the Legislature and rely on annual appropriations. The bill has to go through several more committees before it reaches the Senate floor.