Source: https://mn.gov/commerce/industries/insurance/licensing/self-insurance/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 16:25:17+00:00

Document:
The information in the Self Insurance section of our website is for entities that wish to self-insure for health, auto or workers' compensation, or establish a self-insurance group subject to state laws. Details can be found by clicking on any of the subjects under Self Insurance in the navigation menu to the left.
The Automobile Self-Insurance Unit is responsible for approving or disapproving a company's request to self-insure its liabilities under the Minnesota No-Fault Automobile Insurance Act. Approval is granted when the Commissioner of Commerce is satisfied that the applicant has the financial strength and administrative resources needed to satisfy all obligations and responsibilities under the No-Fault Act.
*Please refer to Minnesota Statute §60A.23 Subd.8 and Minnesota Rule 2767 for licensing requirements for "vendors of risk management services".
Applicant must have had positive cash flow during from operating activities during the last five-year period and in at least three of those years.
Applicant's funds flow, debt structure, profitability, and overall financial integrity of itself and its parent company, if one exists, must demonstrate a continuing ability to satisfy any financial obligations that have been and might be incurred under the No-Fault Act.
Post a surety bond with a minimum limit of $100,000.
This application package contains all of the documents needed for licensure as a Commercial Self-Insurance Group. It includes a checklist, the application, and other forms needed to be licensed.
This unit grants the authority for private companies or groups of companies to self-insure their workers' compensation obligations in the State of Minnesota, subject to the requirements in Minn.. Stat. ß79A .01 - .18. The process includes, but is not limited to, review of the application, financial position, actuarial study and loss history of the applicant(s) to assure that they are in compliance with the law.
Cities, counties, school districts and other municipalities that have 100 or more employees are allowed to self-insure employee health benefit plans under Minnesota law if the entity meets certain requirements, including providing all state benefit mandates applicable in the large group fully insured market. The following templates enable self-insured political subdivisions plans and joint risk pools to apply for certification from the Department of Commerce, as required under Minnesota Statutes §471.617 and §62E.05, which is required annually. Effective January 1, 2018, plans no longer require actuarially-based certifications, as recent state law changes made to §62E.05 and §62E.06 changed the Minnesota-qualified plan rules in deference to the rules existing for plans subject to the Affordable Care Act. Most plans are nongrandfathered under the Affordable Care Act, though plans that have maintained grandfathered status since 2010 have compliance requirements and may use the grandfathered template provided below instead.
The deadline for filing this attestation is 90 days prior to the first day of the plan year for all plan years that begin in 2019 and beyond. However, for plan years that begin in 2018, the deadline is automatically extended to the later of June 30, 2018 or 90 days prior to the first day of the plan year. The Department of Commerce will review submitted filings and send formal certifications to qualifying entities. After completing the template, please e-mail the document and all related attachments to healthreform.mn@state.mn.us.
There are several types of joint risk pools allowed under Minnesota law. This webpage will be expanded in the near future to provide templates by which these types of pools can apply and maintain approvals under Minnesota law, including information for MEWAs and the special rules applicable to agricultural cooperatives.
Governed by Minnesota Statutes §471.617 and Minnesota Rules Chapter 2785, multiple cities, counties, school districts and other municipalities are allowed to jointly self-insure an employee health benefit plan under Minnesota law if the pooled entity meets certain capital, bylaw and underwriting requirements and provides all state benefit mandates applicable in Minnesota’s large group fully insured market.
Existing joint risk pools already approved under this statute should provide Commerce an audited annual financial statement (or make this information publicly available on its website) and should file the attestation below every year. The Department of Commerce will review submitted filings and send formal certifications to qualifying entities every other year, but will follow up on any interim concerns immediately (amendments to bylaws require Commerce notification). Please e-mail financial statements, the completed attestation and all related attachments to healthreform.mn@state.mn.us. Any bylaw changes must be filed with Commerce not less than 30 days after adoption.
Administrative Information: Name and mailing address of the proposed entity; full contact information for the person from the pool who will be responsible for responding to questions about the application; names and contact information for all initial members; the number of expected employees and dependents by individual member; a description of the plan’s membership; an organizational chart by department/division.
Bylaws: A copy of the proposed bylaws, drafted to be fully compliant with the requirements of Minnesota Rules Chapter 2785. The final bylaws must be adopted in writing by all initial members with a signed affidavit by an officer that the bylaws, as dated and submitted to Commerce, are official. Any bylaw changes must be filed with Commerce not less than 30 days after adoption.
Board Members: A chart showing the Board reporting structure, including committee titles and member names and contact information. Certain Board information should be included in the bylaws (structure, role, responsibility, title), but information as to who actually fills the positions should be submitted outside of the bylaws, since that information will change through time. A background check on proposed Board members should have been completed prior to submitting an application to Commerce.
Financial Information: Annotated five year pro forma showing projected balance sheet information (assets, liabilities, and capital/surplus) and projected income statement data (revenues, claims, reserves, underwriting income, investment income, reinsurance/stop loss premium/payments, other income, gains and loss, etc.), preferably performed in conjunction with a person who is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Information as to initial capital sources. Description of access to future capital should additional capital be needed, such as due to underwriting losses or unexpected enrollment growth. Description of risk management techniques to ensure capital and reserve adequacy. Information regarding internal/external accountants, actuaries and auditors.
Business Plan: Please submit a business plan, describing the pool’s goals and objectives, structure, how the entity will operate, and critical plans of actions over the next three years in enough detail to demonstrate the likely success of the entity. The business plan should describe how the pool will control costs and thus be able to operate efficiently in comparison to traditional insurance. The duties and responsibilities of trustees, senior officers and key business partners should be described. The investment policy should be described.
Entities could consider forming alternatively under Minnesota Statutes §62N, in which case the Minnesota Department of Health should be contacted instead of the Department of Commerce (tom.major@state.mn.us).
Note that cities, counties, school districts and other municipalities jointly pooling for the purchase of administrative-only services and/or stop loss insurance, but otherwise not sharing claims risk with one another, do not fall under these requirements but still must meet Minnesota Statutes §471.617 and §62E.05, as described at the top of this page.

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