The Daily Digest (MNsure deadline postponed, site software never tested)
Good morning!
Please send any tips, comments and suggestions to bneely@mpr.org and remember to follow us on Twitter at @mprpolitics and @brettneely. If you enjoy reading the Daily Digest and find it useful, please share it with others who might enjoy it, too.
The Daily Digest will take a break for the holidays and will return on January 6th.
In Minnesota
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
Today was supposed to be the last day to buy health insurance from MNsure for coverage starting on Jan. 1 but the insurance marketplace's new interim Executive Director Scott announced consumers could still sign up until Dec. 31 because of technical problems with MNsure's website. (MPR News)
MNsure officials said the site's problems can be traced back to software sold to the state by a single vendor, IBM Curam, which was never tested by the state before officials bought it for millions of dollars. (MPR News)
Minnesota's Capitol will get an extensive renovation beginning in 2014. (AP via Pioneer Press)
The perennial debate about whether to lift Minnesota's ban on Sunday liquor sales could get fizzier in the 2014 legislative session as citizen activists make a strong push to rally craft beer drinkers to their cause. (MPR News)
Here's our list of the top political news stories of the year. (MPR News)
In Washington/National Politics
CGI Federal, the company responsible for building the problem-plagued web site for the Affordable Care Act, won the job because of what federal officials deemed a “technically superior” proposal, according to government documents and people familiar with the decision. (Washington Post)
Despite the flaws with the Healthcare.gov contracting process, there is little evidence that the Obama administration is moving quickly to pursue an overhaul of how the federal government purchases technology in the coming year. (New York Times)
President Obama, in his final news conference of the year, sought to put the best face on a difficult first year of his second term. (NPR via MPR News)
Legislation that would strengthen mental health programs across the country is being blocked by two senators who believe that states should govern how mentally ill people are treated, said DFL Sen. Al Franken, a chief co-sponsor of the bill. (Star Tribune)
Target continues to urge customers concerned about the theft of some 40 million credit and debit card account numbers from the retailer to watch their accounts closely but not to worry too much about the stolen data. (MPR News)