Welcoming New Arrivals to CHIR

We at CHIR are excited to announce the arrival of two new colleagues who will be helping us navigate the world of health insurance and the new health insurance marketplaces. Please join us in welcoming David Cusano and Justin Giovannelli.

How Will Families Fare with the Workplace Wellness Rule?

An often overlooked part of the workplace wellness rule is the application of “carrots and sticks” to family coverage, potentially making coverage unaffordable for families. In this blog, originally posted on the Say Ahhh blog at CCF, JoAnn Volk takes a look at how families fare under the proposed rule.

NAIC Appoints Former Senator Ben Nelson as New CEO

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has appointed former Senator Ben Nelson as it's new CEO. As one of the NAIC's consumer representatives, Sabrina Corlette welcomes Senator Nelson to his new role.

Essential Health Benefits Final Rule: No Major Departures

The Administration released its final regulation on the Affordable Care Act's requirement that plans cover a minimum set of essential health benefits. Sabrina Corlette took a peek and examines the pluses – and minuses – for consumers.

RIP, PCIPs

On Friday, the Obama Administration announced that they were closing the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs) to new enrollment. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at the decision and what it means for consumers – and for implementation of the ACA.

Are the Wheels Coming off the ACA Wagon? History Suggests Not

There’s been a lot of angst lately about strategic decisions by the Obama Administration to delay elements of the Affordable Care Act. In a blog that originally appeared on the Hill’s Congress blog, Sabrina Corlette and her Georgetown colleague Jack Hoadley note that the Bush Administration made similar decisions to delay, phase-in, and waive key elements of the Medicare Part D law in response to implementation challenges.

Health Reform at Work: Lower Rates in New York State

Next year’s premiums for individual market plans will be way down in New York thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Christine Monahan discusses how a competitive exchange and the individual mandate will provide relief to cash-strapped New Yorkers.

New Report Examines Early Indications of Insurer Participation and Competition in Health Insurance Exchanges

One of the key goals of the Affordable Care Act is to make health insurance coverage more affordable and consumer-friendly by managing competition among health insurers through the creation of health insurance exchanges. A new report from researchers at the Urban Institute and CHIR released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation explores state actions to encourage or require participation on exchanges, and early indications of the level of competition among health insurers. Kevin Lucia highlights some of the findings from the report.

HHS Launches Outreach to Educate Public about Exchange Coverage; Unveils Name and Website for the Federal Exchange

With just under nine months to go until the open enrollment season begins on October 1, 2013, polls show that the general public is still largely unaware of the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Sarah Dash takes a look at the new Health Insurance Marketplace website unveiled by HHS to educate the public about health insurance exchanges.

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.