Category: State of the States

States Innovation Waivers under the ACA: A Closer Look at the Updated Federal Guidance and State Proposals

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Beginning in 2017, states can pursue “innovation waivers” under section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act. These waivers allow states to pursue broad alternatives or targeted fixes to the ACA. In their latest blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers Kevin Lucia, Justin Giovannelli, Sean Miskell and Ashley Williams examine the waiver applications that have been submitted so far, as well as activity in states considering a waiver.

2016 Insurer Participation Remains Stable in State-Based Marketplaces

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In the wake of the high-profile closures and departures of some health plans from the individual market, a close analysis of plan participation in the state-based marketplaces demonstrates that consumer choices remain relatively stable. In CHIR’s latest blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, Emily Curran, Justin Giovannelli and Kevin Lucia assess insurers’ participation in the state-run marketplaces and the policy levers in place to help foster competition.

Federal and State Policymakers Work to Ensure Continuity of Health Care for Consumers

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Federal health insurance officials and the NAIC have recently put forward proposals to protect patients when a doctor or hospital leaves their health plan’s network. Both are grounded in longstanding state standards, although the scope and strength of these laws vary widely. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, Sabrina Corlette, Ashley Williams and Kevin Lucia share findings from a 50-state survey of continuity of care laws and assess how they compare to the federal proposal.

State Efforts to Reduce Consumers’ Cost-Sharing for Prescription Drugs

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High drug prices have been in the news lately, and consumers are bearing an ever-greater burden of those drug prices through health plan cost-sharing. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers Sabrina Corlette, Ashley Williams and Justin Giovannelli analyze state policies to try to protect consumers from high drug costs.

States Revisit Essential Health Benefit Requirements, but Have Little Data on Consumers’ Experiences

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Federal Affordable Care Act rules require the states to revisit the standard scope of benefits for individual and small business health plans – called essential health benefits or EHB – and determine whether revisions are needed. In a new blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts examine how the states approached this task, and what it might mean for consumers.

Why ACA Marketplaces Should Report Comprehensive Enrollment Data

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The Affordable Care Act’s new health insurance marketplaces could be critical sources of data about how people access and use coverage. Yet, to date, the marketplaces have released varying degrees of information, with little uniformity or consensus over what data should be collected and how. In our latest post for The Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers Sean Miskell, Justin Giovannelli and Kevin Lucia examine data collection and reporting by the health insurance marketplaces.

Meeting Sustainability Challenges: A Useful Example for Insurance Regulators

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State insurance regulators face the challenge of sustaining staffing levels achieved thanks to Affordable Care Act rate review grants. As these grant programs wind down, state officials get some helpful advice in Sally McCarty’s account of how she dealt with a similar challenge when she was Indiana’s insurance commissioner.

State Decisions on Allowing Mid-Sized Employers to Delay a Move to the Small-Group Insurance Market

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Beginning in 2016, the Affordable Care Act requires states to change the definition of “small employer” from one with up to 50 employees to up to 100 employees. Such a change could affect health insurance coverage and prices for small businesses and their workers. However, many states are taking advantage of a transition period offered by the Obama Administration that would delay this change. Ashley Williams and Sabrina Corlette, in their latest blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, report on the results of a 50-state survey and the implications for the small group insurance market.

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.