ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Officials with Minnesota's health exchange are claiming success after the end

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of the first open enrollment period.  MNsure interim CEO Scott Leitz says more than 169,000 Minnesotans sign up for coverage through the exchange. That tops the goal of 135,000.

Leitz said exchange officials will be completing enrollment in the coming months for people who couldn't finish it by yesterday's midnight deadline.

More than 36,000 people filled out forms to document an enrollment attempt. Leitz said it's not clear yet how many managed to finish the process. The MNsure computer system had no outages on the final day of signup. The call center got more than 28,000 calls, and the average wait time was 31 minutes.

Governor Mark Dayton released this statement following MNsure’s announcement.

" During MNsure's first six months of operation, nearly 170,000 Minnesotans have successfully enrolled in its health insurance programs. Many people now have health insurance for the first time ever. Others have gained more complete coverage at lower prices.

"Because of the Affordable Care Act, no Minnesotans were denied health insurance for pre-existing conditions. All of them are covered for important preventive health care services, such as cancer screenings and immunizations.

"MNsure has made major improvements in its functionality and customer service during the past three months. More work lies ahead to continue those improvements. However, MNsure has now demonstrated its capacity to improve the lives of many thousands of Minnesotans by offering them access to better health care at more affordable costs."

 

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