Dayton Slams GOP Call to Scrap MNsure After Rate Hikes

ST. PAUL (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton is criticizing Republicans' call to abolish MNsure as a way to counter hefty health insurance hikes.

State officials announced this week that premiums on the individual market would rise between 14 percent and 49 percent on average in 2016. The major hikes triggered immediate talk of how to control costs, with House Speaker Kurt Daudt renewing his call to move Minnesota to the federal marketplace.

House Republicans advanced a similar proposal during the legislative session.

Dayton on Friday called that a bad idea. He says the rates would be the same whether Minnesotans buy individual coverage through MNsure or on Healthcare.gov.

Less than 6 percent of Minnesotans buy coverage on the individual market. More than 80 percent are covered through employer plans or subsidized public programs.