Category: Health reform

The End of the Public Health Emergency Will Prompt Massive Transitions in Health Insurance Coverage: How State Insurance Regulators Can Prepare

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It will be “all hands on deck” for state officials once the public health emergency ends and up to 16 million people face the loss of their Medicaid coverage. As many of these individuals will be eligible for commercial health insurance (and up to one-third will be eligible for Marketplace subsidies), state insurance regulators will play an important role. In a new issue brief for State Health & Value Strategies, Sabrina Corlette provides a checklist to help departments of insurance navigate the impending massive shift in coverage.

New Georgetown Report on Medicaid and Marketplace Network Adequacy

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A recently published report from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Center for Children & Families finds significant differences in standards for network adequacy between Medicaid and Marketplace plans, as well as gaps in oversight. The authors share several recommendations for protecting enrollees’ timely access to health services.

Preparing for the Biggest Coverage Event Since the ACA: The Role of States as Medicaid Continuous Coverage Comes to an End

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CHIR and our colleagues at the Center for Children and Families (CCF) have published two new resources examining state-level preparations for the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the redetermination of the Medicaid eligibility of close to 85 million people. CHIR and the Urban Institute published a review of how state-based Marketplaces and Medicaid agencies are working together to ease coverage transitions, and CCF and KFF released their 20th 50-state survey of Medicaid agencies, with a particular focus on their post-PHE planning efforts.

Adoption of Value-Based, Alternative Payment Models: Where Are We Today and Where Do We Go from Here?

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Employer-sponsored health insurance costs had their highest annual increase since 2010 last year, and some experts are projecting additional health spending increases in 2022. Research has found that provider prices are the leading cause of high and rising health care spending in the US, and many policy experts have advocated for moving towards value-based, alternative payment models (APMs). CHIR’s Maanasa Kona takes a look how APMs have performed thus far and what the future may hold.

New Requirements to Cover Over-the-counter COVID Tests: Implications for State Insurance Regulators

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New federal rules require health insurers to cover and waive consumer cost-sharing for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests. State insurance regulators will be on the front lines of enforcing the new coverage mandate. In her latest Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies project, Sabrina Corlette assesses the new requirements and identifies areas where state insurance departments may need to fill in gaps.

The Proposed 2023 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters: Implications for States

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The Biden administration has proposed a range of new standards and policies for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces. In her latest Expert Perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project, Sabrina Corlette breaks down provisions that are of particular importance to states.

Consumers Have More Time to Shop for a 2022 Health Insurance Plan

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For the past four years, December 15 has been the deadline for most Americans to enroll in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces for coverage effective the following year. This year the Biden administration has extended the sign-up window for an extra four weeks. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab takes a look at the benefits – and potential risks – of giving people more time to enroll.

Build Back Better Act Clears Major Hurdle

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The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the “Build Back Better Act” with provisions that significantly improve the affordability and accessibility of health insurance coverage, and the Senate is expected to act on the bill later this year. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette teamed up with experts at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families to summarize the Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurance policies in the bill.

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.