Author Archive: CHIR Faculty

Improving Health Care Competition: Federal and State Perspectives

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 Final 2025 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters: Implications for States

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.

Ensuring Access to Behavioral Health Providers

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.

Evidence On Private Equity Suggests That Containing Costs And Improving Outcomes May Go Hand-In-Hand

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.

State Efforts To Improve Price Transparency

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.

Final 2025 Payment Notice: Marketplace Standards And Insurance Reforms

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recently released a final rule setting standards for the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces and health insurers for plan year 2025. In their latest Health Affairs Forefront article, Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis discuss the new Marketplace standards, insurance reforms, and policies concerning Advance Premium Tax Credits.

Stakeholders Weigh in on a Proposal that Could Expand Adult Dental Coverage

The final Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters for plan year 2025 is expected soon. The proposed rule included a provision that would permit states to require coverage of adult dental services as part of the Essential Health Benefits. As part of a CHIRblog series on Marketplace dental benefits, CHIR reviewed comments submitted in response to this proposal by select stakeholder groups.

States Expand Access to Affordable Private Coverage for Immigrant Populations

In the United States, immigrants are disproportionately likely to be uninsured. This disparity stems from systemic inequalities such as legal barriers to affordable coverage for noncitizens—especially undocumented immigrants. While state efforts to provide Medicaid-equivalent benefits to some populations of undocumented residents have helped expand access to coverage, many low- and moderate-income undocumented residents remain without affordable health insurance options. In a recent post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s Justin Giovannelli and Rachel Schwab explore recent state actions to fill this gap.

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.