Minnesotans should not be forced to risk identity theft on an unsecure website.

(St. Paul, MN…) Senate Republicans renewed their call to allow Minnesotans to purchase health insurance plans outside of MNsure and still qualify for tax credits after a federal audit expressed serious concerns about MNsure’s ability to secure its customers’ personal information. The tax credits are currently only available through the MNsure website, and have become a lifeline for many customers who cannot afford premium increases averaging 50-67% higher than last year.

“Democrats have given Minnesotans an impossible choice: Either pay sky-high, unaffordable health insurance premiums, or risk identity theft by enrolling through MNsure’s unsecure website. This is a lose-lose situation,” said Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). “Still, Democrats have doubled down on their support of MNsure even in light of these issues, and they’ve done nothing to give Minnesotans a better option.”

Democrats continued to defend MNsure even after the federal audit and premiums increases were made public. Governor Mark Dayton and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen published separate opinion columns this week encouraging Minnesotans to enroll on the unsecure MNsure website in order to take advantage of tax credits.

In 2015, House Republicans were successful in passing legislation to expand access to tax credits outside of MNsure, but due to a failure of leadership by the Dayton administration and Senate Democrats, federal approval was never obtained.