For decades, Brad and Heidi Stokes have put health care at the center of every important life decision.
Heidi Stokes, whose lupus was diagnosed when she was a teenager, picked her early career path around jobs that offered medical benefits. Husband Brad developed a rare liver disease in the late 1980s and has since had two liver transplants. Their college-age son, Christian, was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 15 months old.
As small business owners with complex medical needs, the couple have had only one realistic option for insurance coverage: the state's high-risk pool. But that will change Tuesday with the debut of the MNsure insurance exchange, an online marketplace that gives individuals and small businesses a range of choices while using the power of competition and federal tax breaks to hold down costs.
"The idea that we could go shopping for insurance — and select something for ourselves — is just unbelievable," Heidi Stokes said. "For the first time, I've got some hope for the future."
MNsure and other state exchanges across the country are a critical element of the federal health care law known as Obamacare. Even as controversy continues to rage around the law, its final rollout in the coming months will bring a sharp change in how millions of Americans pay for health care.
While most people will still get insurance through an employer, those who shop on MNsure will decide for themselves which insurance company to use, how much coverage to get and what they're willing to spend.
"What we're seeing Oct. 1 is a reset button," said Geoff Bartsh, a vice president with Medica. "Everyone is setting the table in a way where it's easy to see what's out there, what's available and what the trade-offs are."
Consumers visiting the MNsure website will be able to weigh various elements that matter to them, such as premium prices and whether their doctors or medications are part of a certain plan. They can shop online on their own, work with insurance agents, enroll directly with insurance companies or call a toll-free number for help.