MN insurance exchange bill clears final hurdle

The Minnesota health insurance exchange cleared its final hurdle Monday and is on the way to the governor's desk to become law. State senators held a short, sharp debate on the legislation, which will create the online marketplace where more than a million Minnesotans could be shopping for health insurance by this time next year. Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, who was the lead bill sponsor, called it "a health insurance exchange that will work for industry and at the end of the day has the backs of the people of Minnesota as well." It passed the Senate on a vote of 39-28, without a single Republican vote of support. It passed the House early Friday morning.