The Banana Republic of Minnesota, Part 3: Health Access Edition

Some 30 organizations in Minnesota are set to receive at total of $4 million in taxpayer-funded grants to promote MNsure, the newly-formed Obamacare health insurance exchange.

The MNsure exchange is scheduled to begin operations on October 1^st and these 30 groups will split the $4 million to promote the exchange within the state.  While the exact dollar amounts for each group is still to be determined, dividing $4 million by 30 groups produces an average grant of $133,333.33.  According to Minnesota Public Radio, more than 100 organizations competed for the 30 grants. 

Among the 30 grantees to make the cut is a company that had been in business a mere 39 days at the time it was selected by the state agency MNsure.  In fact, it had been in business for only four days prior to the deadline for the MNsure grant application.
 

The Banana Republic of Minnesota, Part 2: Small Business Edition

Some 30 organizations in Minnesota are set to receive taxpayer-funded grants to promote Obamacare in the state courtesy of the newly-created MNsure health insurance exchange.  The lucky 30 were selected from more than 100 applicants and will split $4 million in Federal grant money. 

Among the more familiar names on MNsure’s list—like Dakota County and Planned Parenthood—is the lesser-known west-Metro-based, non-profit Small Business Minnesota (SBM). 

Never heard of SBM?  The 2½-year-old organization and its President, Audrey Britton, were profiled in June by Star Tribune political columnist Lori Sturdevant.  The occasion was the end of the 2013 legislative session, which Britton declared a success,

The Banana Republic of Minnesota, Part 1: Planned Parenthood

Late afternoon last Friday (5:30 p.m. to be exact) the Minnesota arm of Obamacare—the MNsure health insurance exchange—issued a press release touting the 30 organizations picked to receive grant money to promote the new service.  MNsure is a state government agency collaborative involving five agencies.  MNsure’s Board of Directors includes seven members, only one of which (the Commissioner of the state’s Department of Human Services) is a state employee.  In other words, as a powerful and well-funded independent government entity, MNsure is accountable to no one except the Governor, who appoints all seven members of the board.
 
The MNsure exchange is scheduled to begin operations on October 1^st and these 30 groups will split $4 million in Federal grant money to promote the Obamacare exchange within the state.  According to Minnesota Public Radio, more than 100 organizations competed for the 30 grants.  Individual amounts and the specific scope of work for each will be determined later.