St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - State officials credit lower premiums, an extended enrollment period, and a robust outreach program for a modest, but record-breaking increase in the number of Minnesotans signing up for private health insurance plans through MNsure.

Nate Clark, the CEO of MNsure, notes the number rose to just over 123,730 at a time when many other states experienced decreased sign-ups for 2019 coverage under the Affordable Care Act. He says the Minnesota tally was almost 400 above last year's total, which was the previous record high for the program.

Clark says over 57-percent of the households that signed up between November 1st and this past Sunday's deadline qualified for federal subsidies in the form of tax credits that averaged over $5500. In southeastern Minnesota, the average subsidy was over $9200.

In addition to the enrollments in private health policies, another 104,700 Minnesotans used MNsure to obtain coverage through public health programs.

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