MNsure has announced that people looking for health coverage have beengiven more time to find a plan.

In a press release Wednesday, MNsure said it was giving people an extra month to shop for 2019 coverage. Open enrollment will begin on Nov. 1 and run through Jan. 13, 2019, nearly a month longer than federal open enrollment, which runs Nov. 1 to Dec. 15.

As a state-based marketplace, MNsure has authority to supplement the upcoming federal open enrollment period, giving Minnesotans more time to shop according to the release.

“Shopping for health coverage is a complex process, and Minnesotans rely on the free in-person assistance offered by MNsure’s assister network,” said acting CEO Nate Clark. “This year our assisters face additional challenges given the amount of change coming to Minnesota’s Medicare plans. The extra time to shop will ensure that all MNsure consumers who need it will get that vital assistance.”

This year, 65 percent of private plan enrollees are receiving tax credits averaging more than $7,000 a year per family. In total, Minnesotans are poised to save over $300 million in tax credits in 2018. Of the more than 400,000 Minnesotans who found coverage through MNsure, over 90 percent qualified for tax credits, MinnesotaCare or Medicaid.