Author Archive: CHIR Faculty

The No Surprises Act Proposed Rule on Air Ambulances and Enforcement: Implications for States

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This month the Biden administration released a second rule implementing the No Surprises Act, the new federal law banning balance bills in certain care settings and circumstances starting in 2022. In an Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies project, CHIR experts JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette review provisions of the proposed rules of particular import to state-based marketplaces and state insurance regulators.

Building a Better Transparency Mousetrap: Recommendations to Optimize Hospital and Health Plan Price Disclosures

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Amidst high and rising health care costs, recent federal regulations require hospitals and health plans to publicly post their prices. Such data can be useful for those seeking to control costs and improve affordability, but lack of compliance with the new requirements and data accessibility have made analysis difficult. To gain insights into the potential for this data and generate ideas for how to optimize the information to help reduce health system costs, CHIR convened a meeting of health care researchers, purchasers, and insurance regulators from around the country.

August Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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For the latest monthly roundup of health policy research, CHIR’s Rachel Swindle takes a look at studies published in August on the how the uninsured rate has held steady during the COVID-19 pandemic and expiration of cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 treatment.

Federal Committee Recommends Airline Deregulation Act Changes to Avoid Conflicts with No Surprises Act

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Air ambulances are one of the largest sources of surprise medical bills. While the No Surprises Act would protect patients from balance bills from out-of-network air ambulance providers, another federal law – the Airline Deregulation Act – could raise questions about states’ authority to enforce these consumer protections. CHIR’s Madeline O’Brien and Jack Hoadley describe a federal advisory committee’s recommendations to resolve potential conflicts.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Round Three of CMS’s 2022 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters. Part 3: Consumer Advocates

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The Biden administration has proposed several policy changes designed to boost enrollment in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. In the third post of a 3-part blog series, JoAnn Volk and Nia Gooding review comments submitted by several consumer and patient advocacy groups. Prior posts reviewed comments from health insurers and state marketplace and insurance officials.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Round Three of CMS’s 2022 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters. Part 1: State Insurance Departments and Marketplaces

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The Biden administration is signaling significant changes for the Affordable Care Act marketplaces with its proposed 2022 “Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters.” In the first of a three-part series, CHIR’s Rachel Schwab and Rachel Swindle reviewed public comments from state insurance departments and marketplaces about the impact of the new policies. Reviews of comments from insurers and consumer organizations will follow.

State “Easy Enrollment” Programs Gain Momentum, Lay Groundwork for Additional Efforts to Expand Coverage

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The American Rescue Plan made health insurance more affordable, but covering the 30 million remaining uninsured will require innovative efforts to broadcast and facilitate enrollment in subsidized insurance. To that end, several states, following an inaugural effort in Maryland, have proposed or are implementing a new avenue to enrollment through the tax-filing process. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts take a look at states that are operating or implementing “Easy Enrollment” programs, and how they may offer a bridge to more ambitious initiatives like automatic enrollment.

Restraining Balance Billing by Air Ambulance Providers: CHIR Keeps Up with Federal Advisory Committee and Regulatory Actions

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Air ambulances are the source of some of the largest unexpected medical bills faced by consumers. Before it passed the No Surprises Act, Congress created an advisory committee on air ambulance billing practices. CHIR’s Madeline O’Brien and JoAnn Volk take a look at this committee’s work and what it might mean for future federal policymaking.

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.