On the heels of multiple failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Trump attempts to do what Congress could not: roll back the ACA’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In an opinion piece for U.S. News & World Report, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette breaks down the potential impact of the President’s recent executive order. Continue reading
In the wake of failed Congressional efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, President Trump has threatened to issue an executive order that could effectively roll back key protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s Kevin Lucia and Sabrina Corlette assess the proposed regulatory changes and their impact on consumers and insurance markets. Continue reading
The U.S. Senate stands poised to debate a bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, that would not only repeal major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, but would also fundamentally alter the state-federal framework for insurance regulation. A key provision would create federally certified small business health plans that are exempt from most state laws. In their latest article for The Commonwealth Fund, Kevin Lucia and Sabrina Corlette examine the impact of this provision on small businesses and states’ historic authority to protect consumers and manage their insurance markets. Continue reading
Recently the Governor of Tennessee observed that his state was “ground zero” for insurers pulling out of the ACA marketplaces. In the wake of Humana’s decision to withdraw from the marketplaces for 2018, the residents of 16 counties in that state face the prospect of no insurance company at all from which to buy a subsidized health plan. Tennessee is not alone in having a fragile ACA marketplace, but its situation is particularly acute, especially if no other insurer can be persuaded to operate in those counties. Why is Tennessee’s market struggling, when other states with similar demographics, such as Arkansas, have more competition and market stability? Continue reading
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to promote federally certified association health plans (AHPs) on March 22, 2017. Widely seen as a “second phase” of Affordable Care Act repeal, the AHP proposal poses significant risks for small employers and would hinder states’ ability to protect their consumers. In their latest post for The Commonwealth Fund, Kevin Lucia and Sabrina Corlette take a look at the bill and what it would mean for the small business health insurance market. Continue reading
While all eyes were on the House reconciliation bill to repeal and replace parts of the ACA, another House committee advanced three bills that could have a far-reaching impact on people with employer-based coverage. CHIR experts take a look. Continue reading
In the last few days the federal government has released new guidance for insurance companies relating to the new health insurance marketplaces and the market-wide insurance reforms under the Affordable Care Act. Sabrina Corlette gives us a run down. Continue reading