Tag Archives: association health plans

An Opportunity to Protect Consumers and Ensure a Level Playing Field: Reversing Trump-era Rules on Association Health Plans

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An executive order from President Biden is likely to prompt a review of Trump administration rules encouraging association health plans (AHPs) exempt from critical Affordable Care Act protections. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and Kevin Lucia assess what’s at stake and share thoughts on optimal federal policy going forward. Continue reading →

The MEWA Files: Lifting the Curtain on DOL’s Investigation into AHPs and Other Fraudulent Health Plans

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CHIR is releasing several thousand pages of Department of Labor (DOL) investigative records regarding Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWAs), including Association Health Plans (AHPs), which it received through a 2018 Freedom of Information Act request. CHIR alumna Christine Monahan takes us through what is in these files and how you can access them yourself. Continue reading →

Seeing Fraud and Misleading Marketing, States Warn Consumers About Alternative Health Insurance Products

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States are warning consumers of fraud and about the inadequate nature of some insurance products being sold that masquerade as health coverage. Over the last year, we identified alerts or press releases issued by 15 states warning consumers to be on their guard against deceptive marketing pitches for these products. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To The Point blog, CHIR experts spoke with regulators in five of these states to better understand what was behind these warnings and get insight into potential pitfalls for consumers. Continue reading →

What’s New for 2020 Marketplace Enrollment?

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On November 1, the seventh open enrollment period begins for marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act. We at CHIR are tracking several policy changes that could affect marketplace enrollment and plan affordability in 2020, including: changes to health reimbursement arrangements, new direct enrollment pathways, and recent court rulings on association health plans and the public charge rule. To learn what’s new for 2020, read our CHIRBlog summarizing the major policy changes consumers might encounter this year. Continue reading →

What Does the Latest Federal Court Decision Mean for Association Health Plans – and the States that Regulate Them?

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On March 28, 2019, a federal district court invalidated the Trump administration’s rule encouraging the formation of association health plans that would be exempt from many Affordable Care Act protections. In her latest “Expert Perspective” for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette provides an update on the court ruling and implications for state insurance departments. Continue reading →

Affordable Care Act Back in the Spotlight: Build on its Progress or Scrap it Entirely?

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It is hard to find a starker example of the different approaches our two political parties take to health care than the events of March 26, 2019. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette breaks down the Trump administration’s push to have the Affordable Care Act declared unconstitutional and a comprehensive bill to expand coverage and improve affordability, introduced just hours later by leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives. Continue reading →

House Hearings Shed Light on a Key Policy Priority: Protecting People with Pre-Existing Conditions

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After becoming a rallying cry in the midterm elections, pre-existing condition protections have taken center stage on Capitol Hill: in January and February, the House of Representatives held three hearings about protecting people with pre-existing conditions, before the Ways & Means Committee, the Education & Labor Committee, and the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee. As the ACA faces legal challenges in federal court, these proceedings set the scene for how this policy debate will play out in Congress and offer insight into potential legislative action. Continue reading →