Author Archive: CHIR Faculty
An Historic Event: A Summary of CMS’s Inaugural Health Equity Conference

Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) held the first ever CMS Health Equity Conference. CHIR members who attended the inaugural conference provide an overview of the meeting—including a presentation by CHIR’s Christine Monahan—and its implications for current and future health equity initiatives.
The One Year Anniversary of 988: A Roadmap for States Seeking to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Crisis Services

One year ago, the U.S. transitioned to a new, three-digit nationwide number for suicide prevention and mental health crisis response services. In their latest expert perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project, JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette provide a roadmap for states seeking to expand access to behavioral health crisis services, spotlighting Washington State’s comprehensive approach.
New Georgetown Report and Issue Brief on Outpatient Facility Fee Billing and State Policy Responses

Consumers are increasingly being exposed to a new expense when they seek outpatient medical care: hospital facility fees. In a new report and issue brief supported by West Health, CHIR’s Christine Monahan, Karen Davenport, and Rachel Swindle explore outpatient facility fee billing in the commercial sector, including the impact of these fees on consumers and how states are responding.
Mixed Results: Efforts of State Health Plans to Combat Cost Growth Reveal Broader Challenges for Employer-based Insurance
Can Employer-Sponsored Insurance Be Saved? A Review of Policy Options: Price Transparency

The rising costs of employer-sponsored insurance are placing financial pressure on employers and workers alike. In a four-part series, CHIR experts have reviewed the evidence supporting a range of policy options to improve the affordability this critical coverage option. This, their fourth and final post in the series, focuses on health care price transparency.
Competition and Transparency: The Pathway Forward for a Stronger Health Care Market
Proposed Expansion of Self-funding for Small Employers Would Roll Back Affordable Care Act Protections, Pre-empt State Insurance Oversight

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Education & Workforce Committee is poised to advance H.R. 2813, legislation that would expand self-funded employer plans in the small group market and preempt state insurance regulation. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette testified about the bill at an April 26, 2023 committee hearing.
CHIR Welcomes New Faculty, Hanan Rakine
More Than a Website: Should the Federal Government Establish Additional Minimum Standards for the ACA’s Health Insurance Marketplaces?

The Affordable Care Act established health insurance Marketplaces to facilitate enrollment in comprehensive and affordable health insurance. Most states rely on the federal government to run their Marketplace, but recently, several states have expressed interest in taking over Marketplace operations. With Marketplace enrollment at an all-time high, and millions more people poised to transition from Medicaid to commercial insurance, the role of the Marketplaces as a coverage safety net has never been more pivotal. But federal rules impose few standards for states launching and maintaining a Marketplace. It may be time for the federal government to establish a stronger federal floor.