Affordable Care Act watchers are bracing themselves for another round of health plan cancellations this fall, even though Obama Administration policy allows for these plans to be continued. CHIR expert Sabrina Corlette discusses issues for consumers transitioning off of these plans and into new coverage.
Local press in D.C. recently reported on a “turf battle” between the health insurance marketplace and DC’s Department of Insurance over the review of proposed rate increases. But their roles are more complementary than conflicting. Sabrina Corlette examines how the Affordable Care Act envisions the marketplaces and state insurance departments working together to help consumers obtain better, more affordable health insurance.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to improve access to health insurance coverage for small-business employees by creating a Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace in every state. One key feature of SHOP Marketplaces is employee choice whereby employees can select among multiple insurers and plans for health insurance coverage that best suits their needs. CHIR’s Sarah Dash and Kevin Lucia review how SHOPs are implementing employee choice in a new Health Policy Brief published by Health Affairs.
A major insurance company in Minnesota recently announced it would withdraw from the state’s health insurance marketplace. What does this decision mean for the marketplace and the consumers it serves? Sabrina Corlette offers up her take.
With the change in weather, we’re beginning to field questions related to the upcoming 2015 Open Enrollment period as part of our technical assistance work funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We recently received a question about the consequences of not paying premiums for stand-alone dental plans (SADP) in federally based Marketplaces. Sandy Ahn provides a summary on this issue.
A recent Urban Institute study found that over half (57 percent) of uninsured parents are Hispanic. Our colleague from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, Sonya Schwartz, discusses some of the factors that limit the accessibility of coverage for Hispanic and Spanish-speaking individuals, and offers strategies to fix the problems.
The U.S. House of Representatives is debating legislation this week that would undermine consumer protections for small employers and cause premiums to increase for many. Edwin Park of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shares a new analysis of the bill and its impact on small businesses.
Last week the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published final rules for the health insurance marketplaces and participating insurers to renew consumers into coverage for 2015. Our colleague from Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, discusses what the rule means for consumers and their families.
Almost two decades ago, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) adopted a model state law to regulate the adequacy of health plan provider networks. In the wake of consumer and provider concerns about narrow networks, the NAIC is revising the model law. Sabrina Corlette shares an update on their process and timing.
While open enrollment is less than three months away, consumer assisters will have to do more with less. Resources will be limited, even though the Congressional Budget Office projects more than 5 million more people will enroll through a marketplace. CHIR’s Sandy Ahn examines support from the state and federal marketplaces for consumer assistance funding.
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.
