Author Archive: CHIR Faculty

CHIR Welcomes Back New Faculty: Christine Monahan

CHIR is pleased to welcome Christine Monahan, J.D. back to our team as an Assistant Research Professor. Christine will be working with us on a range of issues, including coverage expansion and affordability. Join us in welcoming her back to the CHIR family.

Out of the Fire and Back in Federal Court: This Mother’s Day, Another Challenge to the ACA Puts Access to Preventive Services at Risk

This Mother’s Day, CHIR’s Rachel Schwab and Nia Gooding assessed the potential impact of a new legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for women. Judge Reed O’Connor has recently allowed a challenge to the ACA’s preventive services coverage provision to move forward in a U.S. district court. Invalidating this provision could jeopardize access to a broad set of preventive services for millions of women. 

Are Surprise Billing Payments Likely to Lead to Inflation in Health Spending?

Under the No Surprises Act, enacted in December of 2020, federal regulators face a balancing act as they develop a mechanism for determining payments to out-of-network providers for covered services. The law also provides for deference to state mechanisms, where they exist. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Jack Hoadley and Kevin Lucia assess the implications for provider payment as well as long term impacts on health care spending.

State-Based Marketplaces Gear Up to Implement the American Rescue Plan

The state-based health insurance marketplaces are taking varied approaches to implementing the enhanced premium tax credits provided under the American Rescue Plan. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and Rachel Schwab review these states’ decisions and their impact on when and how consumers will access health plans with more affordable premiums.

Hybrid Approach to Resolving Payment Disputes Breaks Legislative Stalemates Over Balance Billing, How Will the No Surprises Act Affect These New State Laws?

Seven states in 2020 were able to break a longstanding stalemate and enact protections against surprise out-of-network billing. CHIR’s Jack Hoadley and Kevin Lucia delve into the factors that got these states across the finish line and how the federal No Surprises Act will impact these states’ new laws.

The No Surprises Act and Preemption of State Balance Billing Protections

The No Surprises Act of 2020 sets up a new national framework to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical billing. There have been numerous questions about whether and how the new federal law will preempt existing state protections. CHIR experts have prepared a handy fact sheet to walk through the nuances.

Rookie Report: How did New Jersey and Pennsylvania State Marketplaces Fare in Their Inaugural Enrollment Period?

After seven enrollment cycles on HealthCare.gov, New Jersey and Pennsylvania both launched new state marketplace websites in time for the latest Open Enrollment Period. Both states saw increases in marketplace enrollment over previous years. To understand how this transition went for Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents, and to extract potential lessons for the states that are transitioning to running their own marketplaces, we sought insight from people on the ground: consumer assisters.

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.