Shopping for public exchange plan coverage may take typical consumers in Minnesota an average of about 80 minutes to three hours.
Back in 2012, analysts at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated that filling out an exchange qualified health plan (QHP) application would take 10 minutes. A year later, they estimated the QHP shopping process would take about 50 minutes for a consumer working with a navigator.
Agents interviewed in April 2013 estimated that helping a well-organized consumer enroll in QHP coverage over the telephone might take 30 to 45 minutes of agency time.
Managers of MNsure, Minnesota's state-based exchange, came up with their estimates of QHP shopping time by polling exchange navigators — nonprofit ombudsmen — and exchange brokers, draft of the meeting minutes.