Category: Implementing the Affordable Care Act

Idaho Misses Opportunities to Help Consumers Get Affordable, Comprehensive Health Coverage During COVID-19 Pandemic

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, states have taken charge of responding to the public health emergency. As a state that runs its own health insurance marketplace, Idaho has tools at its disposal to help consumers enroll in comprehensive coverage. But like the federal marketplace, Idaho decided not to wield all of them, leaving large marketplace enrollment barriers and instead promoting alternative and less comprehensive coverage.

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

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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.

The Final 2021 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters: Implications for States

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The Trump administration has released the annual rule governing insurance standards and marketplace operations under the Affordable Care Act. In an Expert Perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project, Sabrina Corlette assesses the implications for state insurance regulation and the state-based marketplaces.

April Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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This April, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe reviews studies focusing on the relationship between increased unemployment due to COVID-19 and access to health insurance as well as the impact of deferred care on net health care costs.

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

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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.

COVID-19 Response: States That Run Their Own ACA Marketplace Are Better Positioned to Help Consumers Get Covered

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During the current public health and financial crises brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACA’s health insurance marketplaces offer a crucial safety net. States that run their own marketplaces have a significant advantage in helping consumers obtain comprehensive, affordable health insurance. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab looks at some opportunities for state-based marketplaces that don’t exist for states relying on the federal marketplace.

March Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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This month, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe reviews studies that examine the capacity for states to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential cost to employers and their employees, and the achievements of the ACA.

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.