Implementing the Affordable Care Act

Trump Administration Pushes for Sale of Insurance Across State Lines

Posted March 27, 2019 by Rachel Schwab

Recently, the Trump administration issued a request for information (RFI) seeking recommendations on ways to facilitate the sale of insurance across state lines, allowing insurers to bypass the insurance standards of states that have strong consumer protections and benefit requirements by headquartering in a state with few regulations in place. The policy is often touted as a way to reduce the cost of coverage and improve consumer choice, but states and insurers have been reluctant to embrace it. A CHIR study conducted after the ACA was signed into law sheds light on why.

Happy Birthday to the Affordable Care Act: Your Presence is our Present

Posted March 22, 2019 by Olivia Hoppe

On a chilly March Tuesday in Washington, DC, with the stroke of just 22 pens, health care as we know it in the United States was changed, and you were officially signed into law. For your ninth birthday, we want to give thanks for the gifts you’ve given us over the years.

Stakeholders React to the Administration’s Proposed Rule on Health Reimbursement Arrangements. Part 4: Consumer, Patient, and Union Organizations

Posted March 15, 2019 by Olivia Hoppe

In October, the Departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that aims to expand the “flexibility and use” of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). To understand reactions to the proposal, CHIR reviewed a sample of comments from state officials, insurers, consumer advocates, and employer, broker and benefit advisor groups. In Part 4 of this blog series, we highlight comments from six consumer and patient advocates and employee unions.

February Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

Posted March 8, 2019 by Olivia Hoppe

For February’s Research Round Up, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe focuses on five studies on health care spending trends, surprise medical bills, and individual market claims denials and appeals.

House Hearings Shed Light on a Key Policy Priority: Protecting People with Pre-Existing Conditions

Posted February 19, 2019 by Rachel Schwab

After becoming a rallying cry in the midterm elections, pre-existing condition protections have taken center stage on Capitol Hill: in January and February, the House of Representatives held three hearings about protecting people with pre-existing conditions, before the Ways & Means Committee, the Education & Labor Committee, and the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee. As the ACA faces legal challenges in federal court, these proceedings set the scene for how this policy debate will play out in Congress and offer insight into potential legislative action.

Stakeholders Respond to the Proposed Health Reimbursement Arrangement Rule. Part I: State Insurance Departments and Marketplaces

Posted February 15, 2019 by Rachel Schwab

In October 2018, the Trump administration proposed rules to expand the use of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) by loosening current federal limitations. The administration’s proposal would allow employers to offer employees the tax-advantaged accounts to assist with health care expenses, including premiums, in lieu of employer-sponsored coverage. To understand the potential impact of the proposals, CHIR reviewed comments from various stakeholder groups. For the first blog in our series, Rachel Schwab summarizes comments from state marketplaces and state insurance departments.

January Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

Posted February 8, 2019 by Olivia Hoppe

For the January Research Round Up, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe goes over new research that examines the root of high health care spending in the US, the effects of eliminating the individual mandate penalty in California, insurer participation in the individual market, and characteristics of the uninsured population across the country.

Efforts to Protect Workers with Pre-existing Conditions

Posted February 7, 2019 by CHIR Faculty

On February 6, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Education & Labor Committee held a hearing on threats to workers with pre-existing conditions. CHIR expert Sabrina Corlette was invited to testify and shares her statement here.

The Marketing of Short-Term Health Plans: Industry Practices Create Consumer Confusion

Posted January 31, 2019 by CHIR Faculty

A 2018 federal rule changing the definition of short-term limited-duration insurance (STLDI) has created a new marketing opportunity for insurance companies and brokers. In a new study, CHIR experts assess short-term plan insurers’ marketing tactics in the wake of the new federal rules and how regulators have prepared for this new market.