Two national health insurers recently discussed their plans to invest in “ICHRAs,” tax advantaged accounts that workers use to purchase individual market health insurance. CHIR’s Hanan Rakine explores what a greater use of ICHRAs could mean for workers, and for the stability of insurance markets.
Easy-enrollment programs offer states an efficient, low-cost mechanism for connecting residents with comprehensive, affordable health care coverage. In a recent post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts Rachel Swindle, Rachel Schwab, and Justin Giovannelli review state efforts and effective strategies for improving easy enrollment programs and boosting healthcare enrollment.
Over the past 30 years, hospitals and physician practices have been merging at an accelerated pace, and as a result, they have been able to command higher prices for their services. A recent report by CHIR Faculty discusses federal and state mechanisms to address provider consolidation, and what can be done to strengthen them.
The U.S. significantly under-invests in primary care, even though the benefits of primary care access are well known. Several states are now using their health insurance rate review authority to push insurers to increase their investment. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona and Sabrina Corlette review these states’ strategies and their impact to date.
On Tuesday, May 21st, Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms held the final of three events in its series on the Futures of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance. Event speakers Stacy Sanders, Erin Fuse Brown, David Seltz and Charles Miller discussed competition in health care from the federal and state perspectives.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have recently finalized rules and standards governing health plans and Marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act. In a recent Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies project, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and the Urban Institute’s Jason Levitis summarize provisions that have implications for states.
CHIR is delighted to welcome two new faculty members: Amy Killelea and Leila Sullivan.
Lack of access to care for behavioral health conditions is a longstanding issue. In a recent post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts JoAnn Volk and Justin Giovannelli reviewed state and federal access standards for behavioral health providers and services.
A growing body of evidence suggests private equity investments in health care have raised provider prices and reduced care quality in certain settings. In a new Health Affairs Forefront article, Linda Blumberg and Kennah Watts look at the track record of private equity acquisitions and how cost-containment efforts could help mitigate private equity’s influence and improve patient outcomes.
Federal regulations require hospitals and insurers to publish negotiated prices. States are also playing a role in this effort by monitoring compliance with the federal rules and implementing other policies to educate consumers and improve this cost-containment tool. In their recent Health Affairs Forefront article, Maanasa Kona and Nadia Stovicek look at state actions to promote price transparency.
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.
