States Have New Flexibility to Add Adult Dental Care to Essential Health Benefits

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced a new option for states to update their essential health benefits (EHB) benchmark plan to include routine adult dental coverage, aiming to address disparities in oral health outcomes, particularly for low-income and minority adults. In their latest Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies program, CHIR’s JoAnn Volk and Manatt’s Tara Straw discuss considerations for states weighing this addition.

Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Provide an Early Opportunity for Addressing Affordability Issues

Enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) have significantly reduced health insurance premiums and expanded coverage for millions of Americans, particularly low- and middle-income individuals, but these subsidies are set to expire in 2025. If Congress doesn’t act to make them permanent, premiums will rise, leading to coverage losses and greater financial hardship for millions. CHIR’s Karen Davenport discusses what the incoming Congress can do to address healthcare affordability issues.

October Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

The leaves are falling but the latest health policy research is evergreen! Last month we read about health system competition in metropolitan areas, health care affordability prior to the American Rescue Plan (ARPA,) how high deductible health insurance can exacerbate racial and ethnic wealth disparities, and about unmet dental vision and hearing needs among low-income Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

Advancing Health Care Transparency: A Menu of Options for State Policymakers

Many Americans struggle with high healthcare costs, leading state policymakers to explore transparency measures to lower prices. While transparency alone has limited impact on cost reduction, states are innovating by increasing transparency in areas like provider ownership, billing practices, and price data, which can inform broader policy solutions and have bipartisan support, paving the way for more effective cost-containment strategies. In their latest article for CHIRblog, CHIR experts Stacey Pogue and Nadia Stovicek explore transparency options for state policymakers.

Revisiting Federal Price Transparency Proposals as the End of Congress’ Session Nears

In recent years, federal price transparency rules have required hospitals and health plans to publicly post their prices. However, challenges persist with data access and use, limiting the data’s effectiveness for consumers and policymakers. Two bipartisan bills in Congress seek to strengthen these rules. CHIR experts Stacey Pogue and Nadia Stovicek discuss the federal price transparency landscape in their latest article for CHIRblog.

The Incursion Of Profit-Enhancing Middlemen In US Health Care

The U.S. health care system’s lack of regulation over provider pricing and insurer claims has led to a rise in profit-driven middlemen, such as revenue cycle management firms. While these intermediaries aim to maximize reimbursements for providers, they often increase costs for consumers and complicate access to care. This complex environment underscores the urgent need for regulatory oversight to address the inefficiencies and rising expenses in the system. In their latest piece for Health Affairs Forefront, Linda J. Blumberg and Kennah Watts break down the effect of middlemen on US health care.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the individual blog post authors and do not represent the views of Georgetown University, the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, any organization that the author is affiliated with, or the opinions of any other author who publishes on this blog.