By Edwin Park* and Sabrina Corlette

The House and Senate have passed the American Rescue Plan and the President plans to sign it today, bringing critical relief to America’s families. In addition to providing relief to unemployed workers, pulling millions of children and families out of poverty and helping school districts address learning loss, the COVID-19 relief legislation will strengthen both public and private health insurance coverage.  Some of the new provisions build on actions Congress previously took in earlier COVID relief packages including the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Among its Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provisions, the American Rescue Plan encourages states to finally take up the Medicaid expansion by offering even more favorable financial incentives than those already in place and allows states to provide longer postpartum health coverage for new mothers.  Among its private insurance provisions, the American Rescue Plan provides full premium subsidies for COBRA coverage, substantially increases subsidies for the purchase of health plans offered through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, and targets additional marketplace subsidies to those receiving unemployment benefits.

We have put together an issue brief to explain these provisions in greater detail.  Read the brief here.

*Edwin Park is a Research Professor with Georgetown University’s Center for Children & Families