Can Employer-Sponsored Insurance Be Saved? A Review of Policy Options: Limiting Provider Consolidation and Anti-Competitive Behavior

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High and rising health care prices are a key driver of increased cost sharing in employer plans. A significant contributor to rising prices is the consolidation in health care provider markets. In the third post of a series on policy options to improve the affordability of employer-sponsored insurance, CHIR’s Maanasa Kona and Sabrina Corlette explore strategies to limit provider consolidation and anti-competitive behavior.

A Progress Report on Washington’s Public Option Plans

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Washington State’s “public option” program is now in its third year. After initial cost and access challenges hindered the program’s reach, growing insurer participation and recent enrollment data suggest meaningful progress is being made. CHIR’s Christine Monahan and Madeline O’Brien provide an update on how Washington’s public option plans performed in the recently concluded open enrollment period, outlining key issues to watch as Washington moves forward with its first-in-the-nation program.

Secrets to a Successful Unwinding: Actions State-Based Marketplaces and Insurance Departments Can Take to Improve Coverage Transitions

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States have begun conducting Medicaid redeterminations and renewals after an almost 3-year pause, a process that is being called the “Unwinding.” In their latest article for the State Health & Value Strategies program, Sabrina Corlette, Jason Levitis, and Tara Straw outline strategies state Marketplaces and insurance departments can implement to reduce coverage disruptions and ensure continuity of care.

Updates to the Navigator Resource Guide Provide Information for People Transitioning from Medicaid to Private Health Insurance

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After a three-year pause on Medicaid redeterminations, states can begin the process of removing residents from their rolls beginning on April 1. Many people who are terminated from Medicaid will be eligible for free or low-cost plans through the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces. To help consumers and enrollment assisters during this nationwide coverage event, we’ve updated our Navigator Resource Guide with new content about transitioning between Medicaid and private health insurance.

COVID “Long Haulers” Still Struggle with Coverage and Care

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The COVID-19 public health emergency expires this spring, bringing an end to pandemic-related funding, infrastructure, and flexibilities. Meanwhile, millions of people continue struggling to find and pay for effective treatment for post-acute, COVID-related conditions. Karen Davenport provides an update on the progress—or lack thereof—towards covering the ongoing and unique care needs of these COVID “long haulers.”

January Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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Welcome to another year of health policy research. In the first month of 2023, CHIR reviewed studies on how policies expanding health coverage would impact household spending, surprise medical bills generated by ground ambulance rides, and health care costs associated with substance use disorders.

A Midterm Assessment Of President Biden’s Promise To Build On The ACA

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As a candidate, President Biden promised to protect and build on the Affordable Care Act. At the halfway mark of his first term, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and CCF’s Joan Alker write on Health Affairs’ Forefront about the progress he has made to fulfil that promise, and what work there remains to do.

Implementing the Family Glitch Fix on the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces

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A record number of people have signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. This historic enrollment coincides with a new rule that fixes the “family glitch,” a former policy that blocked over 5 million people from accessing marketplace subsidies. In a post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts highlight the variety of activities undertaken by the ACA’s marketplaces to implement the family glitch fix.

U.S. Health Insurance Coverage and Financing

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In a new Perspectives piece for the New England Journal of Medicine, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and Christine Monahan help readers navigate the United States’ patchwork system of health insurance coverage, where people’s access to services and level of financial protection — not to mention whether they have coverage at all — vary depending on their birthplace, age, job, income, location, and health status.

The ACA’s Preventive Services Benefit Is in Jeopardy: What Can States Do to Preserve Access?

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A federal judge is poised to gut one of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) preventive services requirement, potentially cutting off millions of peoples’ access to crucial care such as flu shots and cancer screenings. In a post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers look at states that have codified the ACA’s preventive service requirement, identifying gaps and opportunities to bolster state-level protections.

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.