Managed Care Enrollment Process for Medical Assistance (MA) and MinnesotaCare

Posted: November 9, 2026

People under the age of 65 who are eligible for Medical Assistance (MA) and who do not have a certified disability are enrolled into a health plan unless they meet an exclusion. People eligible for MinnesotaCare are, with very limited exceptions, always enrolled in a health plan.

County and Tribal health care workers enroll people eligible for MA into a health plan. Health plan enrollment for people eligible for MinnesotaCare is handled by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). The enrollment process for both programs is described on this page.

The health plans available to enrollees are based on the county where they residence, as listed on RCAD in MMIS.

Processing entities can review the Managed Care Key Dates section in this manual to determine health plan enrollment start dates.

Page Contents

Medical Assistance (MA)
MinnesotaCare
MA Enrollment Process
MA Enrollment Packet Contents
MinnesotaCare Enrollment Process
MinnesotaCare Enrollment Packet Contents

Medical Assistance (MA)

Medical Assistance is Minnesota’s health care program for people with low income. This page describes the health plan enrollment process for people under the age of 65 who do not have a certified disability.

MinnesotaCare

MinnesotaCare is a health care program for Minnesota residents who do not have access to affordable health care coverage and have incomes that make them not eligible for MA. Most people who are covered under MinnesotaCare must pay a premium for their coverage.

MA Enrollment Process

The following outlines the health plan enrollment process after a processing entity (county, Tribe, or DHS) has determined MA eligibility and entered it into METS or MAXIS:

Important: MA enrollees in the same household may choose different health plans.

1. A county or Tribal health care worker determines if the enrollee meets criteria to be excluded from managed care and instead is covered by fee for service (FFS):

a. If yes, the county or Tribal health care worker enters the appropriate exclusion code on the RPPH screen. MMIS does not generate a managed care enrollment form and the process is complete.

b. If no, and the enrollee is eligible to be reenrolled in their previous health plan, review the Reinstatement and Reenrollment page of this manual. MMIS does not generate an enrollment form and the process is complete.

c. If no, and the enrollee is not eligible to be reenrolled in their previous health plan, the county or Tribal health care worker adds a “YY” pending enrollment exclusion for the next available month on the RPPH screen.

2. A county or Tribal health care worker or MMIS adds a tracking span on the RTRK screen to initiate the enrollment process. The section, Tracking System within MMIS in this manual, has more information on the enrollment and tracking process.

3. In an overnight batch job, MMIS generates an enrollment form.

4. The county or Tribe prints the enrollment forms each day and assembles and mails the enrollment packets.

a. Find a list of the contents of the packet in the section MA Enrollment Packet Contents.

5. A county or Tribal health care worker provides education to the enrollee about managed care and health plan selection.

6. The enrollee responds to the county or Tribe with their health plan choice using one of the following processes:

a. The enrollee returns the enrollment form to the county or Tribe by mail. The processing entity checks the form for completeness and accuracy. They review the enrollee’s name, health plan choice and responses to questions on the form. Then, they enter the information on the RPPH and REFM screens in MMIS. Finally, they add a case note in MMIS that includes the enrollee’s name(s) and health plan choice(s).

b. The enrollee contacts their county or Tribe by phone. The processing entity enters the enrollee’s health plan choice on the RPPH screen and adds a case note in MMIS that includes the enrollee’s name, health plan choice and the date of the phone call.

c. If the enrollee does not respond with a health plan choice by mail or by phone, they will be defaulted into a plan. The section, Default Health Plan Enrollment Process in this manual, has more information on this process.

7. DHS will mail:

a. A Notice of Health Plan Enrollment to the enrollee indicating what health plan they are enrolled in and the effective date.

b. A Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) ID card for each enrollee.

8. The health plan will mail additional information and health plan ID card(s) to the enrollee.

MA Enrollment Packet Contents

The county or Tribe mails the enrollment packet for MA which contains the following documents:

· MMIS generated Health Plan Enrollment Form (DHS-4106A) (PDF)

· Managed Care Enrollment Guide (DHS-8041) (PDF) (can be ordered in bulk from DHS forms supply, or printed from eDocs)

· County or Tribal informational documents (can vary and must be approved by DHS).

· County or Tribal return envelope

· Mailing envelope (currently being used by the processing entity)

If an enrollee reports they have lost their enrollment form, the processing entity can take the enrollee’s information and health plan choice(s) over the phone and enter their choice into MMIS. If the enrollee would like the enrollment form re-sent, processing entities can generate a new enrollment form from the RKE2 screen in MMIS.

MinnesotaCare Enrollment Process

The following outlines the enrollment process into a health plan after the processing entity has determined MinnesotaCare eligibility:

Important: All MinnesotaCare household members are enrolled in the same health plan by MMIS or DHS.

9. MMIS generates an enrollment span on RPPH for the next available month based on criteria outlined in the Default Health Plan Enrollment Process section of this manual.

10. In an overnight batch job, MMIS generates an enrollment form.

11. The Issuance Operation Center (IOC) at DHS prints the enrollment forms each day, assembles and mails the enrollment packet. The section, MinnesotaCare Enrollment Packet Contents lists the contents of the packet.

12. The enrollee responds to DHS with their health plan choice in one of the following ways.

a. Returns the completed paper form to DHS using the return envelope included in the enrollment packet.

b. Submits a scanned image of the form via the online Health Care Consumer Support Document Portal for Consumers (DHS-8174)

c. Calls MinnesotaCare at 651-297-3862 or 800-657-3672.

d. If the enrollee does not respond with a health plan choice by mail or by phone, they will remain enrolled in the default health plan.

13. DHS updates MMIS with the selected health plan for the next available month based on the Managed Care Enrollment Cut-Off Date section of this manual and adds a case note in MMIS that includes the enrollee’s name(s) and health plan choice.

14. DHS will mail:

a. A Notice of Health Plan Enrollment to the enrollee indicating what health plan they are enrolled in and the effective date.

b. A Minnesota Health Care Program (MHCP) ID for each enrollee.

15. The health plan will mail additional information and a health plan ID card(s) to the enrollee.

Reminder: If a premium payment is required, MinnesotaCare coverage begins the first of the following month after the first payment is made. It is important for the household to make a health plan choice at the same time as their premium payment. Otherwise, the household will be enrolled into the default plan.

MinnesotaCare Enrollment Packet Contents

The IOC mails the enrollment packet for MinnesotaCare which contains the following documents:

· MMIS generated Health Plan Enrollment Form (DHS-4106A) (PDF)

· Managed Care Enrollment Guide (DHS-8041) (PDF) (can be ordered in bulk from DHS forms supply, or printed from eDocs)

· MHCP return envelope

· DHS-3320E mailing envelope (can only be ordered by DHS)

If an enrollee reports they have lost their enrollment form, the enrollee must contact MinnesotaCare at 651-297-3862 or 800-657-3672. Enrollees can make their health plan choice over the phone using the Health Plan Enrollment Form (DHS-4106A) (PDF). If the enrollee would like the enrollment form re-sent, processing entities can generate a new enrollment form from the RKE2 screen in MMIS.