With deadline looming, MNsure's phone lines are clogged

MNsure customers hoping to be covered by Jan. 1 are clogging up the insurance exchange's phone lines.

The deadline to enroll in the state's health insurance system is midnight Monday. Callers have been waiting as long as 50 minutes before getting a representative on the phone.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, MNsure had answered over 6,000 calls. Spokesperson Shane Delaney said 62 percent of the calls were answered in under five minutes, but others are taking much longer.

"So that's bumping up the average time," he said, "those are complicated questions or cases that require a specialist."

Americans are required to have health insurance coverage unless they qualify for exemption. Minnesotans who don't enroll for the beginning of the new year face higher penalty amounts in 2016 than in the first two years under the federal Affordable Care Act.

The 2016 fines are either 2.5 percent of taxable income that exceeds a person's tax filing threshold amount, or $695 per adult and $347.50 per child (up to a maximum of $2,085). The fines are more than double those imposed in 2015.

A high call volume is nothing new for MNsure. Delaney said the number of calls on deadline days has been historically high.

"As was the case the previous two years, deadline days are always busy," he said. "We anticipated this and we try to message that out to consumers."

Open enrollment for coverage starting in February goes through Jan. 15. Others signing up for March coverage have until Jan. 31.