CHIR Faculty

The Provider Relief Fund: How Well Does it Protect Patients from Surprise Medical Bills for COVID-19 Related Services?

Posted May 15, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

The $175 billion Provider Relief Fund prohibits participating providers from balance billing COVID-19 patients, regardless of their source of coverage. While this could help many patients avoid surprise medical bills, there remain several questions about the scope of protection this will provide. In an update to his April 30, 2020 post, Georgetown expert Jack Hoadley takes a look at the fine print of the program as well as new guidance from HHS.

In the Age of COVID-19, Short-Term Plans Fall Short for Consumers

Posted May 13, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

During February’s State of the Union address, President Trump touted his administration’s efforts to expand access to short-term health plans that do not comply with any of the ACA’s consumer protections. Short-term plans are often cheaper than ACA-compliant plans because they can deny coverage to people and exclude entire categories of services. In a recent post supported by The Commonwealth Fund, we reviewed 12 short-term plans to determine what coverage consumers would have if they needed treatment for COVID-19. We found that consumers in short-term plans are likely to have less financial protections than those enrolled in ACA plans.

States Can Prevent Surprise Bills for Patients Seeking Coronavirus Care

Posted May 1, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, Jack Hoadley, Maanasa Kona, and Kevin Lucia explore recent state activity to enact balance billing legislation, as well as ways in which some states have used emergency powers to protect people from surprise medical bills for COVID-19-related services.

Individual Market Insurance Brokers Report Improved Consumer Options, But Also Risks from Short-term and Other Alternative Products

Posted April 21, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

In a new report, CHIR researchers teamed up with the Urban Institute to assess trends in the individual health insurance market by talking to brokers across the country. Although the Affordable Care Act market appears to be stabilizing, many brokers report new risks for consumers.

State Policy Options to Encourage Greater Use of Telehealth in State-Regulated Health Plans

Posted April 20, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed and urgent interest in using telehealth to enable remote access to care across service areas and provider types. CHIR’s JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette summarize federal legislation and guidance as well as actions state departments of insurance can take to encourage greater access to telehealth services in an article for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project.

Keeping Surprise Billing Out Of Coronavirus Treatment

Posted April 3, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

Surprise medical bills, which were already a concern for many consumers, are expected to increase because of the coronavirus crisis. While Congress should adopt a comprehensive solution for all patients, protecting those affected by coronavirus is critical and should be done quickly. In a post for the Health Affairs Blog, Jack Hoadley, Kevin Lucia, and Katie Keith propose an immediate, short-term solution that Congress could adopt now to protect patients from surprise bills due to coronavirus.

States Don’t Know What’s Happening in their Short-term Health Plan Markets and That’s a Problem

Posted March 31, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

In the midst of a global pandemic, consumers continue to be sold skimpy short-term plans that may not cover necessary testing and treatment. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, Dania Palanker and Christina Goe assess the ability of insurance regulators to understand the scope of the short-term plan market in their states and its impact on consumers’ ability to access and afford care.

State-Based Marketplaces Find Value, Potential Opportunity for Growth in Small-Business Offering

Posted March 26, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

Small businesses have historically struggled to provide coverage to their workers. The ACA sought to address these issues through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), creating marketplaces for small employers to offer coverage to their employees. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts take a look at ways that state-based marketplaces are investing in their SHOPs, and how some are seeing enrollment growth and savings for small businesses.

On its 10th Anniversary, during a Public Health Crisis, the Affordable Care Act is More Important Than Ever

Posted March 23, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

The past few weeks have tested the U.S. health care system. In a world where we are all at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, access to health care is a universal human need. On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, CHIR takes some time to consider how battling this pandemic would have been even more difficult if it weren’t for this groundbreaking federal law.