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Chapter 256L

Section 256L.15

Recent History

256L.15 PREMIUMS.

Subdivision 1.Premium determination for MinnesotaCare.

(a) Families with children and individuals shall pay a premium determined according to subdivision 2.

(b) Members of the military and their families who meet the eligibility criteria for MinnesotaCare upon eligibility approval made within 24 months following the end of the member's tour of active duty shall have their premiums paid by the commissioner. The effective date of coverage for an individual or family who meets the criteria of this paragraph shall be the first day of the month following the month in which eligibility is approved. This exemption applies for 12 months.

(c) Beginning July 1, 2009, American Indians enrolled in MinnesotaCare and their families shall have their premiums waived by the commissioner in accordance with section 5006 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5. An individual must indicate status as an American Indian, as defined under Code of Federal Regulations, title 42, section 447.50, to qualify for the waiver of premiums. The commissioner shall accept attestation of an individual's status as an American Indian as verification until the United States Department of Health and Human Services approves an electronic data source for this purpose.

(d) For premiums effective August 1, 2015, and after, the commissioner, after consulting with the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over human services, shall increase premiums under subdivision 2 for recipients based on June 2015 program enrollment. Premium increases shall be sufficient to increase projected revenue to the fund described in section 16A.724 by at least $27,800,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2017. The commissioner shall publish the revised premium scale on the Department of Human Services website and in the State Register no later than June 15, 2015. The revised premium scale applies to all premiums on or after August 1, 2015, in place of the scale under subdivision 2.

(e) By July 1, 2015, the commissioner shall provide the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over human services the revised premium scale effective August 1, 2015, and statutory language to codify the revised premium schedule.

(f) Premium changes authorized under paragraph (d) must only apply to enrollees not otherwise excluded from paying premiums under state or federal law. Premium changes authorized under paragraph (d) must satisfy the requirements for premiums for the Basic Health Program under title 42 of Code of Federal Regulations, section 600.505.

Subd. 1a.Payment options.

The commissioner may offer the following payment options to an enrollee:

(1) payment by check;

(2) payment by credit card;

(3) payment by recurring automatic checking withdrawal;

(4) payment by onetime electronic transfer of funds;

(5) payment by wage withholding with the consent of the employer and the employee; or

(6) payment by using state tax refund payments.

At application or reapplication, a MinnesotaCare applicant or enrollee may authorize the commissioner to use the Revenue Recapture Act in chapter 270A to collect funds from the applicant's or enrollee's refund for the purposes of meeting all or part of the applicant's or enrollee's MinnesotaCare premium obligation. The applicant or enrollee may authorize the commissioner to apply for the state working family tax credit on behalf of the applicant or enrollee. The setoff due under this subdivision shall not be subject to the $10 fee under section 270A.07, subdivision 1.

Subd. 1b.Payments nonrefundable.

Only MinnesotaCare premiums paid for future months of coverage for which a health plan capitation fee has not been paid may be refunded.

Subd. 2.Sliding fee scale; monthly individual or family income.

(a) The commissioner shall establish a sliding fee scale to determine the percentage of monthly individual or family income that households at different income levels must pay to obtain coverage through the MinnesotaCare program. The sliding fee scale must be based on the enrollee's monthly individual or family income.

(b) Beginning January 1, 2014, MinnesotaCare enrollees shall pay premiums according to the premium scale specified in paragraph (d).

(c) Paragraph (b) does not apply to:

(1) children 20 years of age or younger; and

(2) individuals with household incomes below 35 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

(d) The following premium scale is established for each individual in the household who is 21 years of age or older and enrolled in MinnesotaCare:

Federal Poverty Guideline
Greater than or Equal to
Less than Individual Premium
Amount
35% 55% $4
55% 80% $6
80% 90% $8
90% 100% $10
100% 110% $12
110% 120% $14
120% 130% $15
130% 140% $16
140% 150% $25
150% 160% $37
160% 170% $44
170% 180% $52
180% 190% $61
190% 200% $71
200% $80

Subd. 3.

MS 2010 [Repealed, 2008 c 358 art 3 s 14]

Subd. 4.

[Repealed, 2010 c 200 art 1 s 21]

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Revisor of Statutes