…cannot meet a goal. Second, the final rule divides “health contingent programs” into two subgroups: activity-only programs and outcome-based programs. Activity only programs require an individual to perform or complete an activity related to a health factor in order to get a reward, whereas outcome-based programs require an individual to meet or maintain a specific health outcome, such as not…
…health insurance?” Because I knew that for most people, access to high quality, affordable health insurance coverage is available only through an employer. Employers subsidize, on average, close to 80% of premium costs, and employees are guaranteed access to coverage, regardless of their health status. Employment-based coverage also tends to be comprehensive. By contrast, buying insurance on your own can…
…in Washington, DC, George Washington University Hospital charges $115,000 for a patient on a ventilator while Providence Hospital’s charge for the same event is less than $53,000. Las Colinas Medical Center in Dallas, Texas bills $160,832 for a lower joint replacement while Baylor Medical Center, just 5 miles away, bills $42,632. The huge range in prices bears no apparent resemblance…
When CHIRblog last checked in with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), they were wrapping up their Spring meeting in Houston, TX. That meeting held fewer controversies relating to the ACA than some in the past, in part because the NAIC has completed many of the tasks required of it by the law, such as providing HHS with a…
…met in as few as five or six years, so families lived in a constant state of worry, wondering where their next insurance coverage was coming from. Among the many people in the hemophilia community who were forced to live under this cloud of concern was a man with hemophilia whom my colleague JoAnn Volk wrote about here a few…
…there and, based on her income, will probably get help paying her premiums and out of pocket costs. For Stacy, that means peace of mind. Having insurance is important to her “in case anything else comes up.” “Just because I don’t have cancer now doesn’t mean it won’t come back again,” she said. When Stacy was just 28, she never…
…rate requests and approve them, disapprove them, or request changes. Oregon consumers viewing the posting can compare companies’ proposed rates for a standard plan, showing differences based on age, geographic region, and three levels of benefits (Bronze, Silver and Gold). They’ll see big differences in premium rates among the plan options. For example, in the Portland area, one company proposes…
…new marketplaces. The Massachusetts experience showed that shopping for insurance online is a multi-visit process and in 2009, fewer than 1 in 18 consumers visiting the Connector website ended up completing a purchase online. Many people ended up buying coverage through other sources, including over the phone, with the insurance company directly, or through a broker. As the state marketplaces…
This week, the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) released new guidance for insurers on how to inform consumers about their new health insurance options under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The guidance also includes model language that insurers can use when communicating with their enrollees about renewing their policy. Why is this important? Beginning in January, individual…
…to navigate between an insurer’s website and the exchange, and whether state-based exchanges can establish a commission schedule for agents and brokers, among other questions. Big Events for the NAIC and Exchanges, Among Others Beginning on Tuesday, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ research arm – the Center for Insurance Policy and Research (CIPR) – begins its latest symposium on…
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.
