Author Archive: CHIR Faculty

What Four States Are Doing to Advance Health Equity in Marketplace Insurance Plans

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The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) led to historic reductions in racial and ethnic disparities related to health insurance coverage. However, equal access to health coverage is not enough to ensure health equity. In their latest issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, Dania Palanker and Nia Denise Gooding examine how four state-based health insurance marketplaces have acted to reduce health inequity, and outline considerations for other state-based marketplaces developing a health equity strategy.

Fixing the Family Glitch: Federal Rules Aim to Improve Coverage Affordability for Working Families

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Roughly 5 million people are currently unable to access marketplace subsidies due to a flawed interpretation of the Affordable Care Act dubbed the “family glitch.” Last month, the Biden administration proposed new rules, grounded in a revised interpretation of the law, which would increase access to affordable coverage for families of low and moderate-income workers. Karen Davenport looks at the proposed regulatory fix and how it will impact consumers and other health insurance stakeholders.

Mitigating Coverage Loss When the Public Health Emergency Ends: The Role of the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces

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As many as 16 million people are expected to lose Medicaid once the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. One-third of these could be eligible for ACA marketplace plans. In their latest To the Point blog for the Commonwealth Fund, Sabrina Corlette and Maanasa Kona discuss strategies that marketplaces can deploy to help reduce the potential coverage loss and help consumers make a smooth transition.

New Georgetown Report on Medicaid and Marketplace Network Adequacy

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A recently published report from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Center for Children & Families finds significant differences in standards for network adequacy between Medicaid and Marketplace plans, as well as gaps in oversight. The authors share several recommendations for protecting enrollees’ timely access to health services.

California’s Marketplace Tries New Tactics to Reduce the Number of Uninsured and Underinsured

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Despite a significant reduction in the uninsured rate over the last decade, millions of people still lack coverage, and many people who have insurance are unable to access care because of high cost sharing. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s Rachel Schwab, Justin Giovannelli, and Kevin Lucia look at California’s recently adopted strategies to reduce and prevent uninsurance and lower cost barriers to care for marketplace enrollees.

The Expiration of the Public Health Emergency Also Ends Policies to Lower Health Access Barriers

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As we approach the end of the public health emergency, Medicaid will not be the only program affected by pandemic relief policies that expire. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker and Megan Houston reviewed other policies that expire at the end of the PHE including mandated coverage of COVID-19 tests and related care, lower barriers to telehealth, and ease the use of mental health and substance use services.

Update on State Public Option-Style Laws: Getting to More Affordable Coverage

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While federal health coverage reforms remain stalled in Congress, several states are pushing forward to establish modified versions of public health insurance options. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s Christine Monahan, Justin Giovannelli, and Kevin Lucia provide an update on implementation of public option-style plans in Washington, Colorado, and Nevada.

Preparing for the Biggest Coverage Event Since the ACA: The Role of States as Medicaid Continuous Coverage Comes to an End

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CHIR and our colleagues at the Center for Children and Families (CCF) have published two new resources examining state-level preparations for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the redetermination of the Medicaid eligibility of close to 85 million people. CHIR and the Urban Institute published a review of how state-based Marketplaces and Medicaid agencies are working together to ease coverage transitions, and CCF and KFF released their 20th 50-state survey of Medicaid agencies, with a particular focus on their post-PHE planning efforts.

Massachusetts Data on Health Care Sharing Ministries Reveal Finances That Put Consumers at Risk

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Health Care Sharing Ministries (HCSM) continue to be marketed widely, often as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace plans, even though HCSMs don’t follow the same rules and typically don’t provide the same protections. There is a dearth of data on HCSM operations and finances, but a Massachusetts rule has offered a glimpse behind the curtain. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, JoAnn Volk, Justin Giovannelli, and Christina Goe dig into new data on HCSMs.

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.