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Association Health Plan

On January 1, 2020, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) launched BenefitsMN, a new health care coverage option for Minnesota nonprofits! We are thrilled to sopnsor this Association Health Plan for our members, and we remain committed to increasing the vitality of Minnesota’s nonprofit sector.

Throughout MCN's 30-year history, our members from across the state have asked us to provide health plan options, to help them improve their ability to recruit and retain the best possible staff. MCN formed BenefitsMN to develop and oversee this exploration. By increasing negotiating leverage due to economies of scale, and reducing the administrative burden that comes with offering benefits plans, we believe BenefitsMN helps nonprofit employers better achieve their missions.

Now in its third year, BenefitsMN has 100 participating nonprofits, covering more than 650 nonprofit employees and 1,000 lives in total. A majority of our participating organizations have fewer than 15 employees, and many are new to offering health benefits to staff. As 2023 approaches, those numbers continue to grow, giving BenefitsMN even more bargaining power when negotiating for and providing:
 
  • Coverage for MCN 501(c)(3) nonprofit members based anywhere in Minnesota
  • Coverage for employers with two or more eligible employees
  • Five high-quality plan options in six networks
  • Attractive rates for a majority of our members
  • Access to Benefits Administration and enrollment platforms at no additional cost
  • A full suite of voluntary benefits options

 
For 2022, we were able to negotiate an average premium rate increase of 9.6 percent. In addition, BenefitsMN negotiated:

  • MyHealthRewards Invest for 2022
  • another 9 percent Rate Cap Per Tier for 1/1/2022

Note: Any nonprofit — MCN member or not — may request information from Gallagher about the plans. To receive a rate quote and to participate in BenefitsMN, however, an organization must be an active nonprofit member of MCN for a minimum of 30 days.

Get regular updates by following BenefitsMN on:  

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What do current BenefitsMN participants say about their experiences?


"Being able to provide health coverage for employees has given us a greater competitive edge when it comes to searching for skilled and passionate employees."

—Alexa Golemo, Executive Director, Macalester-Groveland Community Council

"It was extremely easy to implement BenefitsMN. I thought I was missing steps because it was much easier than working with the other providers when we were a large organization."

—Amy Meuers, CEO, National Youth Leadership Council

“We find the stability of pricing and the ability to be part of a large group a great benefit to our organization.”

—Brian Conzemius, Vice President CFO, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation

“Where before we had one plan to choose from which may not have fit the needs of all of our staff, we now can offer our staff different plans within different networks so every staff member can make the right medical coverage choice for them and their family."

—Megan Young, Director of Operations, GMCC

“Because of BenefitsMN, our organization was able to add health insurance as a benefit as a first step toward offering competitive employment packages.”

—Chris Flippo, Executive Director, East Side Learning Center

Watch a Recording of "Explore BenefitsMN for 2022" Webinar

On September 1, 2021, the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and Gallagher hosted a free webinar highlighting the association health plan available to MCN member nonprofits, including the health plans, networks, pricing, and related benefits that can help your organization attract, retain, and support your staff. View the webinar recording below or download presentation slides here.

View Webinar Recording

Missed the webinar on how to use Medica My Health Rewards? View the recording

Curious about the timeline for participation in BenefitsMN?

Whether your organization might offer employee medical benefits for the first time, or you are wondering about shifting existing employee plans to BenefitsMN, there are a number of key steps to consider as you move through the process. BenefitsMN and Gallagher have developed a general timeline that helps identify each of these steps, so that you have an overview of the entire process. This takes you from your initial consultation through to the first day of your organization's coverage.


Review Optimal Timeline

Frequently Asked Question about BenefitsMN

To learn more about plans, please visit https://cloud.info.ajg.com/benefits-mn-registration or click the button below to connect with Gallagher Benefits Services, the exclusive broker for BenefitsMN.

Request more information

If you’d like to speak to a Gallagher representative, contact Jack Duffy at 952-356-3578 and/or jack_duffy@ajg.com or Michaela O'Brien at 952-356-0757 and/or michaela_obrien@ajg.com.

To receive a quote for rates, you’ll need to have be an MCN member for a minimum of 30 days. You will need to submit information to Gallagher, the exclusive broker for BenefitsMN. Once Gallagher has the information, you should receive a proposal within two weeks.

Request a quote

Yes, employers with two or more eligible employees will be eligible to participate in BenefitsMN. Each employer will designate their employee eligibility at 20, 25 or 30 hours per week.

Yes, all Minnesota nonprofit employers will have the ability to choose from multiple plans and multiple networks that will fit the needs of their employees. Plan and network availability will vary by geographic location. The nonprofit employer must be headquartered in Minnesota.

That will depend on where your organization is located, what plans you might choose, the information you submit to Medica, and the ages of participants. Each organization will receive rates specific to that organization.

That will depend on the plans and networks each employer chooses to offer its employees. The Medica Choice Passport network — one of the region's largest provider networks — is one of the network options included in BenefitsMN, and is a national network.

Yes, through Colonial Life and available in Gallagher's Turn-Key Solutions.

Yes.

Any nonprofit - MCN member or not - may request information from Gallagher about the plans. To receive a rate quote and to participate in BenefitsMN, however, an organization must be an active nonprofit member of MCN for a minimum of 30 days. 

Not sure if you're a member?
Visit our nonprofit member list to search for your organization or email info@minnesotanonprofits.org to inquire.

Want to learn more about MCN membership?
If you'd like to learn more about nonprofit membership — including benefits, dues levels, and more — visit our member page.

This is a legal requirement under Minnesota insurance laws. Specifically, in this context of an association-sponsored health plan, Minnesota law prohibits MCN from directly soliciting, offering, or selling an insurance policy to its members within the first 30 days of membership. See the definitions of “group insurance” and “association” under Minnesota Statutes Insurance (Ch. 59A-79a) § 60A.02, for additional context.

Yes. Gallagher is the exclusive broker to BenefitsMN. You can continue to work with your existing broker for other types of insurance, such as business insurance including Directors & Officers coverage, casualty, liability, and workers compensation.

Also, you can work with your current broker to purchase voluntary employee benefits, which includes dental, life, and accident insurance.

  • If you want to use the Medsurety Benefits Administration platform and services for the medical coverage, you must offer your employees at least two of the voluntary benefits that Colonial has developed. If you offer these to employees and none of them enrolls in the benefits, you can still access the Medsurety Benefits Administration platform free-of-charge, for managing your organization’s medical benefits. In this case, you would need to have another way to manage enrollment and coverage of these ancillary, voluntary benefits.

If you have questions about BenefitsMN not addressed in the FAQ above, please contact info@BenefitsMN.org. We will do our best to provide assistance in a timely manner.

BenefitsMN Board of Trustees

Susan Estee, executive director, Second Harvest North Central Food Bank
Amanda Waaraniemi Golly, vice president of human resources, Metropolitan Alliance of Connected Communities (Treasurer)
Steve Lepinski, Steve Lepinski Consulting (Chair)
Gina March, senior accountant, Midwest Reliability Organization
Laura Mortenson, communications director, Minnesota Budget Project
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