Open enrollment begins on Minnesota's health insurance marketplace — with steeper costs
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Open enrollment has started for state health care plans, and some Minnesotans shopping for that coverage are seeing big price increases.
Officials at MNsure, the state’s health insurance marketplace, said rising health care costs and the expiration of federal tax credits are driving up prices. Premiums for 2026 on the individual market are 22 percent higher on average than in 2025 — and that’s before accounting for the loss of federal tax credits, which could add to the cost.
MNsure officials said that means it’s especially important for anyone enrolling through the state’s marketplace to check the details of their plan, and look at other plan options.
“Every year, costs change, plans change, there are differences. This year, it’s just more important than ever,” MNsure CEO Libby Caulum said Monday. “They might still find a plan that can work for them. They might just need to do a little bit of shopping around.”
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Caulum said about 90,000 Minnesotans benefit from the federal tax credits. About 19,000 of them will lose all those benefits if they expire as planned; the rest will still be eligible, but the amount will be lower.
That could still change. The tax credits are at the center of the ongoing federal shutdown, as congressional Democrats push to extend them beyond this year.
Given that uncertainty, Caulum said now is a good time for enrollees to contact a navigator for help exploring their options. MNsure partners with navigators across the state, who offer free assistance picking a plan.
Jonathan Marchand is a navigator and community services manager for United Community Action Partnership.
“We are able to look at the plans that are available on the marketplace and really kind of help consumers compare one plan to another to another, and see what plans are going to help them the best,” Marchand said.
Enrollees can find navigator information online.
Open enrollment runs through Jan. 15. Anyone enrolled before Dec. 15 will see their insurance benefits start Jan. 1; those who sign up in the last month of open enrollment will have insurance coverage starting in February.
