Category: CHIR

Building a Better Transparency Mousetrap: Recommendations to Optimize Hospital and Health Plan Price Disclosures

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Amidst high and rising health care costs, recent federal regulations require hospitals and health plans to publicly post their prices. Such data can be useful for those seeking to control costs and improve affordability, but lack of compliance with the new requirements and data accessibility have made analysis difficult. To gain insights into the potential for this data and generate ideas for how to optimize the information to help reduce health system costs, CHIR convened a meeting of health care researchers, purchasers, and insurance regulators from around the country.

Public Input on How to Design a Federal Public Option

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Congressional leaders requested input from the public on how to design a federal public health insurance option. CHIR’s Christine Monahan compiled and reviewed dozens of publicly available responses and shares key takeaways, as well as links so you can take a closer look.

August Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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For the latest monthly roundup of health policy research, CHIR’s Rachel Swindle takes a look at studies published in August on the how the uninsured rate has held steady during the COVID-19 pandemic and expiration of cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 treatment.

State “Easy Enrollment” Programs Gain Momentum, Lay Groundwork for Additional Efforts to Expand Coverage

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The American Rescue Plan made health insurance more affordable, but covering the 30 million remaining uninsured will require innovative efforts to broadcast and facilitate enrollment in subsidized insurance. To that end, several states, following an inaugural effort in Maryland, have proposed or are implementing a new avenue to enrollment through the tax-filing process. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts take a look at states that are operating or implementing “Easy Enrollment” programs, and how they may offer a bridge to more ambitious initiatives like automatic enrollment.

A Fixer Upper: Washington State Enacts Legislation to Boost its Public Option

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Washington State enacted a first-of-its-kind public option, with the state-procured plans available beginning in 2020. But the inaugural year yielded underwhelming results, with fewer than 2,000 people enrolled in the plans and premiums that were on average higher than the prior year’s rates. After identifying several barriers to the program’s success, Washington enacted legislation this year to bolster the state’s public option.

CHIR Welcomes Back New Faculty: Christine Monahan

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CHIR is pleased to welcome Christine Monahan, J.D. back to our team as an Assistant Research Professor. Christine will be working with us on a range of issues, including coverage expansion and affordability. Join us in welcoming her back to the CHIR family.

A Permanent Boost to Federal Premium Assistance Could Change State Approaches to ACA 1332 Waivers

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The American Rescue Plan temporarily increases the availability and generosity of federal premium assistance for people who obtain coverage through the ACA marketplaces. Were Congress to make these premium subsidy enhancements permanent, states would have more breathing space to address other barriers to care, potentially with support from an ACA Section 1332 waiver. In a new work for The Commonwealth Fund, Justin Giovannelli examines how a permanent boost to federal subsidies could give states new and different opportunities to help their residents using the ACA’s waiver program.

Figuring out if COBRA Coverage is Right for You

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By the end of May, employers must notify eligible employees and former employees about the COBRA subsidies under the American Rescue Plan. Many of these folks may also be eligible for enhanced premium tax credits through the Affordable Care Act. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona walks through the different coverage options available.

Minority Health Month: National Latino Week of Action

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April is Minority Health Month, a good time to consider ways to reduce the wide disparities in health insurance access and coverage that particularly affect people of color. For the National Latino Week of Action, CHIR looks at changes in the uninsured rate among the Latino/Hispanic community, and identifies opportunities to build on coverage gains thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

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.