Category: CHIR

2020 – It’s a Wrap. CHIR Takes Stock of a Tumultuous, but Busy Year

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We at Georgetown CHIR look back at this tumultuous, tragic, and eventful year and are thankful we have the opportunity to do the work we do. When the world went on lock down in early March, our team quickly pivoted to researching and writing about the government response to COVID-19 and its impact on health care coverage. We also wrote about surprise balance billing, junk insurance, and trends in provider-payer dynamics We share some of the highlights from our work here.

Navigator Guide FAQ of the Week: Coverage Requirements

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Open Enrollment in most states ends next week, on December 15. As consumers continue to weigh their coverage options throughout the enrollment period, the CHIR team is highlighting frequently asked questions (FAQs) from our recently updated Navigator Resource Guide. In this installation, we answer FAQs about individual requirements to maintain coverage.

Navigator Guide FAQ of the Week: What Does My Plan Cover?

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With Open Enrollment now well underway, consumers are weighing their options for 2021 and trying to find the right plan that meets their health needs. As consumers make their decision, it is important for them to understand what they are buying and what coverage their plan provides. Throughout the enrollment period, the CHIR team is highlighting frequently asked questions (FAQs) from our recently updated Navigator Resource Guide. In this installation, we answer FAQs about marketplace plans’ coverage standards.

The Congressional Budget Office Definition of “Health Insurance” Leaves Room for Wide Coverage Gaps, Discrimination

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The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) frequently estimates how policy proposals will affect rates of health insurance coverage. To make these assessments, the agency relies on a definition including coverage that can discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and fail to cover key health services like prescription drugs, practices that are outlawed in the individual health insurance market under the ACA. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab takes a look at the CBO’s current definition of health insurance, and the impact it has on health insurance reform efforts.

October Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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In honor of Halloween, this October CHIR’s Nia Gooding reviewed spooky studies on the projected impact of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), troubling trends in the child uninsurance rate, and the ever-rising costs of employer-sponsored insurance coverage.

Navigator Guide FAQ of the Week: Who Is Eligible To Purchase Coverage Through the Marketplace?

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November 1 marked the first day of open enrollment on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. To help Navigators and others assisting consumers with marketplace eligibility and enrollment, we’ve created the Navigator Resource Guide. Each week we’ll feature answers to questions that may be top of mind for consumers, such as who is eligible to shop for a marketplace plan.

What’s New for 2021 Marketplace Enrollment?

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On November 1, the eighth open enrollment period begins for marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act. We at CHIR are tracking several policy changes that could affect marketplace enrollment and plan affordability in 2021, including: impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, new special enrollment periods, and recent court rulings on contraception coverage and the public charge rule. To learn what’s new for 2021, read our CHIRBlog summarizing the major policy changes consumers might encounter this year.

Trump Administration Promotes Coverage That Fails to Adequately Cover Women’s Key Health Care Needs

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The ACA expanded women’s access to comprehensive coverage. The Trump administration is seeking to overturn the law while promoting coverage options that are exempt from the ACA’s consumer protections, including short-term plans and health care sharing ministries. In a new post for The Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts examine the differences between ACA plans and the alternatives promoted by the Trump administration, finding that these products frequently exclude or severely limit coverage of services that are critical to women’s health.

Aggressive Medical Debt Collections: COVID-related Consumer Protections Could be a Model for Long-term Relief

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A new investigative report shows that even the COVID-19 crisis has not stopped many hospital systems from using aggressive collections practices to collect on unpaid medical debt. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona takes a deep dive into the problem of medical debt and aggressive collections practices, and how the government can step in to protect consumers.

August Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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The month of August went by in a flash, or painstakingly slowly, but either way it produced some great health policy research. CHIR’s Nia Gooding provides our monthly round up of health insurance-related studies and analyses.

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.