Category: Implementing the Affordable Care Act

Early Rate Filings Show Premium Increases, Rising Costs of Care

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has published proposed rate changes for 2024 Marketplace plans. In some states, insurers submitted rate requests earlier in the summer, alongside justifications for the proposed changes to next year’s premiums. CHIR dug into the rate requests from select states with early rate filing deadlines to see what’s behind the premiums consumers could be facing in 2024, both on- and off-Marketplace.

The Biden Administration Takes Aim At Medical Financing Products

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This month, the Biden administration issued a Request for Information (RFI) on “the scope, prevalence, terms, and impacts” of medical credit cards and other high-cost medical financing products. In a post for Health Affair’s Forefront, CHIR’s Maanasa Kona explains the RFI and outlines some of the risks these products pose for patients.

The One Year Anniversary of 988: A Roadmap for States Seeking to Expand Access to Behavioral Health Crisis Services

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One year ago, the U.S. transitioned to a new, three-digit nationwide number for suicide prevention and mental health crisis response services. In their latest expert perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project, JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette provide a roadmap for states seeking to expand access to behavioral health crisis services, spotlighting Washington State’s comprehensive approach.

New Georgetown Report and Issue Brief on Outpatient Facility Fee Billing and State Policy Responses

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Consumers are increasingly being exposed to a new expense when they seek outpatient medical care: hospital facility fees. In a new report and issue brief supported by West Health, CHIR’s Christine Monahan, Karen Davenport, and Rachel Swindle explore outpatient facility fee billing in the commercial sector, including the impact of these fees on consumers and how states are responding.

June Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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As we splashed into summer, CHIR soaked up the latest health policy research along with some rays. In June, we read about trends in coverage and access for LGBT adults, the rise of facility fees, and the out-of-pocket cost burden of mental health care.

Health Policy Pride: An Overview of Private Coverage Issues Impacting the LGBTQ+ Community

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Happy Pride Month from CHIR! Each June, Pride is an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and honor the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights—including in health care access. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker examines the systemic barriers to health care coverage that the LGBTQ+ community faces, and highlights a few key coverage and access issues that continue to impact LGBTQ+ individuals with private health insurance.

May Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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April showers bring May flowers, and May was abloom with health policy research. Last month, we read about the impact of ending pandemic-related coverage policies, consumer awareness of the resumption of Medicaid renewals, and approaches to tackling rising health care costs in commercial health insurance markets.

Preserving the ACA’s Preventive Services Protections in the Wake of Braidwood v. Becerra: A Checklist of State Options

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On May 15, 2023, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily paused the Braidwood v. Becerra ruling by a federal district court. That court’s decision would have blocked federal enforcement of the ACA’s requirements that insurers cover and waive cost-sharing for preventive services. In their latest post for the State Health & Value Strategies project, Sabrina Corlette and Tara Straw discuss who is impacted, and how states can help protect their residents.

More Than a Website: Should the Federal Government Establish Additional Minimum Standards for the ACA’s Health Insurance Marketplaces?

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The Affordable Care Act established health insurance Marketplaces to facilitate enrollment in comprehensive and affordable health insurance. Most states rely on the federal government to run their Marketplace, but recently, several states have expressed interest in taking over Marketplace operations. With Marketplace enrollment at an all-time high, and millions more people poised to transition from Medicaid to commercial insurance, the role of the Marketplaces as a coverage safety net has never been more pivotal. But federal rules impose few standards for states launching and maintaining a Marketplace. It may be time for the federal government to establish a stronger federal floor.

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.