The Affordable Care Act includes numerous consumer protections designed to remedy shortcomings in the availability, affordability, adequacy, and transparency of individual market insurance.  However, because states continue to be the primary regulators of health insurance and implementers of these requirements, consumers are likely to experience some of these new protections differently, depending on where they live.  In CHIR’s latest issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, Justin Giovannelli, Kevin Lucia, and Sabrina Corlette find that consumers nationwide will enjoy improved protections in each area targeted by the reforms.  The analysis also shows that some states already have embraced the opportunity to customize their markets by implementing consumer protections that go beyond minimum federal requirements.  These findings suggest that states likely will continue to adjust their market rules as policymakers gain a greater understanding of how reform is working for consumers.

To read the full issue brief, Implementing the Affordable Care Act: State Action to Reform the Individual Health Insurance Market, visit The Commonwealth Fund website.