SENATE WEBCAST - Thursday, October 20, 2016

DFL Senate leaders assembled Thursday, October 20, to request that Governor Mark Dayton call a special session as soon as possible to provide financial relief to Minnesotans facing steep health insurance premium increases in the individual marketplace.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said he hopes for a narrowly focused special session, possibly before the November 8th election, to provide a short-term fix to help those Minnesotans facing skyrocketing premiums in 2017.

In late September, the Department of Commerce announced that premiums would increase by more than 50 percent in the individual market, as insurers seek to align premium revenues with expected claims costs. Five percent of Minnesotans purchase health insurance on the individual market. Policies purchased through MNsure receive federal tax credits that automatically reduce payments for people with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

The DFL proposal would cap insurance premiums at 9.6% of income for those who do not qualify for the federal tax credits.