States Move Forward with Public Option Programs, but Differ in How They Select Insurance Carriers

Washington, Colorado, and Nevada are partnering with private health insurance carriers to offer new “public option” plans. In a post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s Christine Monahan and Madeline O’Brien compare state approaches to selecting insurance carriers to offer the new state plans.
Searching for a New Normal: How Expiration of the Federal Public Health Emergency Impacts Access to Health Care Services

After more than three years, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is set to expire on May 11, 2023. Once the PHE designation is lifted, a number of federal policies intended to help the U.S. health care system adapt to the pandemic will also expire. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker reviews selected policies tied to the PHE and evaluates how the impending expiration will impact consumers’ access to services.
Reducing Health Care Costs For Working Families
Final 2024 Payment Rule, Part 1: Insurance Market Rules And Consumer Assistance
March Research Roundup: What We’re Reading
Providers Challenge Payments In ‘No Surprises’ Act Dispute Resolution Process

Under the No Surprises Act, consumers are held harmless beyond in-network cost sharing when they receive certain kinds of out-of-network care. In these scenarios, to determine the provider’s payment, payers and providers may enter independent dispute resolution (IDR). Recently, federal agencies released an initial report on the No Surprises Act’s IDR process. In a post for Health Affairs Forefront, CHIR experts Jack Hoadley and Kevin Lucia analyze the new report and discuss what it suggests about the No Surprises Act.
A World Without The ACA’s Preventive Services Protections: The Impact Of The Braidwood Decision

The U.S. Department of Justice has requested that a Texas district court suspend its decision to strike down the ACA’s preventive services benefits while it pursues an appeal. In her latest Health Affairs Forefront article, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette explores what could happen if a stay is not granted in the case.
Coverage of Preventive Services Without Cost Sharing in Jeopardy as Texas Court Strikes Down ACA Protection

At the end of March, a federal judge in Texas partially invalidated one of the ACA’s most popular provisions—the requirement to cover a set of preventive services without cost sharing. In a recent post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts break down the recent decision and how it will impact access to care.