Author Archive: CHIR Faculty

New Rules Protect Navigators and Certified Application Counselors from Over-Reaching State Laws but Also Impose New Requirements

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The Obama Administration has released final rules curtailing state laws that overly restrict the ability of navigators and certified application counselors to effectively enroll people into new coverage options through the health insurance marketplaces. Our Georgetown University Center for Children and Families colleague, Tricia Brooks, provides the overview of the rule and what it means for consumer assisters.

The Expatriate Health Coverage Act: Like “Using a Bat to Swat a Fly?”

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Recent legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives attempts to fix a problem in the Affordable Care Act for a relatively small group of people with health coverage who live overseas. But in the process it creates loopholes that could undermine consumer protections for a much larger group of people. Our colleague at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, Sonya Schwartz, provides this assessment.

Back in the Day – Lessons from Pre-reform Days: Death to the Death Spirals

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While we’re struggling with Affordable Care Act (ACA) issues, there’s value in taking the time to look back and appreciate the impact of the ACA and other healthcare reforms implemented over the past few decades. To that end, CHIR faculty member and former Indiana Insurance Commissioner Sally McCarty is posting a series called “Back in the Day – Lessons from Pre-reform Days.” This installment looks at policies in a “death spiral.”

Changes in Census Survey Data Generate Misguided Criticism – Larger Census Survey will Remain Unchanged

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The U.S. Census Bureau is implementing changes to the questions they ask on their Current Population Survey (CPS). Many observers have expressed concern that the changes will inhibit accurate assessments of the Affordable Care Act’s impact on coverage levels. But Jon Peacock of the Wisconsin Budget Project, in a guest blog for Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, argues that researchers will still have plenty of good Census data with which to understand the effects of the ACA.

Sebelius Will Be a Tough Act to Follow

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Secretary Sebelius will soon be stepping down as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She led the agency through an extraordinary time of health system transformation. One person who knew she would be up to the job – and who knows she’s a tough act to follow – is her former insurance commissioner colleague, Sally McCarty. In this post, Sally looks back at her two decades of working with Sebelius and celebrates the tenure of a remarkable Secretary.

Recommendations to Strengthen Navigator and Assister Programs

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With the close of open enrollment in the new health insurance Marketplaces, it is a good time not only to applaud the work of the navigators and consumer assisters who helped people gain access to new coverage, but also to reflect on lessons learned and assess what can be done to improve consumer assistance for 2015. Our colleague at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, does just that in her latest post.

More New Resources Available to State Regulators

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A set of new tools for state insurance regulators, as well as updated versions of some older resources, have recently been posted on the Robert Wood Johnson State Health Reform Assistance Network (State Network) web site. CHIR faculty Sally McCarty, David Cusano, and Max Farris, who serve as technical assistance professionals (TAPS) in the State Network Program, developed the new resources. Sally McCarty describes them here and provides information about an upcoming Webinar to introduce them and demonstrate their use.

Who Gets Extra Time “In Line” and Beyond to Enroll in Health Coverage?

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The Obama Administration is allowing extra time to enroll in the health insurance Marketplaces for people who, through no fault of their own, have been unable to complete the process. But the options are different, depending on people’s different circumstances. Our Georgetown University Center for Children and Families colleague Tricia Brooks explains.

Two States on the Path to the Basic Health Program

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Both Minnesota and New York are on the path to setting up a Basic Health Program (BHP) that will provide more affordable coverage for low-income families than they may find on the marketplace. Georgetown University Center for Children and Families’ Sonya Schwartz has an update on where the BHP program stands and what it means for families.

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.