Duluth forum to discuss upcoming health insurance exchanges

The status of a Minnesota online marketplace for health insurance will be the topic of a forum on Saturday in Duluth.

Called a Health Insurance Exchange, the marketplace will allow Minnesotans who aren’t covered by government or employer insurance plans to compare private insurance plans and rates in a single place. The exchange is a key provision of the Affordable Care Act that was passed in 2010.

The deadline for legislative passage is the end of March; the federal government will impose a plan on states that don’t have their own plans. Enrollment will begin Oct. 1, and coverage will begin on Jan. 1.

State Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, and State Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, will participate in the forum along with representatives of TakeAction Minnesota, the Northeast Area Labor Council, CHUM and the Citizens Federation.

Both Lourey and Huntley were members of a task force appointed last year to devise Minnesota’s exchange.

The forum will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Asbury United Methodist Church, 6822 Grand Ave.

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