ERISA 101: The United States’ Hands-Off Approach to Regulating Employer Health Plans

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Amidst growing health care costs, adequate health insurance coverage is increasingly unaffordable for employers and employees. There is a growing focus on the role employer-sponsored plans can play in health care cost containment, but under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the access, affordability, and adequacy of employer coverage is dictated less by law and regulation and more by individual employers.

Navigator Guide FAQs of the Week: Post-enrollment Issues

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The open enrollment period has officially ended in most states. After signing up for 2023 coverage, enrollees may have questions about the ins and outs of health insurance and access to care. We’re spotlighting some of the post-enrollment questions and answers on our Navigator Resource Guide.

Can Employer-sponsored Insurance Be Saved? A Review of Policy Options: Price Regulation

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Health insurance is becoming increasingly unaffordable for employers and workers alike. In the second in their blog series assessing policy options to shore up employer-sponsored insurance as a source of coverage, CHIR experts Linda Blumberg, Sabrina Corlette and Jack Hoadley tackle a policy that economists and budget forecasters predict would have the biggest impact: hospital price regulation.

December Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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Happy New Year! The holiday season may be over, but health policy researchers continue to bestow gifts onto our field. In December, we read about disruptions in health insurance coverage, the uninsured population, and gaps in provider network oversight. This roundup will highlight key findings of these articles, as well as their significance for our work.

Navigator Guide FAQs of the Week: The End of Open Enrollment

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In most states, January 15 marks the end of the open enrollment period for 2023 coverage. While taking the final steps to enroll in a marketplace plan, there are a few important policies and procedures to keep in mind. We’ve highlighted some of the FAQs from our Navigator Resource Guide to help consumers through the process of finalizing their enrollment.

New CHIR Case Study Examines Policies to Expand Primary Care Access in Rural Arkansas

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Primary care is a critical tool to prevent illness and death and improve equitable distribution of health care. In a new case study, published in collaboration with the Milbank Memorial Fund, CHIR researchers detail stakeholder efforts to expand primary care access in Columbia County, Arkansas—a county classified as a primary care health professional shortage area.

Navigator Guide FAQs of the Week: Comparing Plans

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Open Enrollment is drawing to a close; in most states, consumers only have until January 15 to sign up for a 2023 marketplace plan. To help with last-minute shopping for health insurance, this week’s set of FAQs from our Navigator Resource Guide focuses on comparing plan options.

Navigator Guide FAQs of the Week: What to Know About Off-marketplace Plans

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Although the deadline to enroll in a marketplace plan beginning January 1 has passed in most states, Open Enrollment is still ongoing. As consumers look for an affordable health plan, it can be tempting to search for plans online, which may lead people to products sold outside of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplace. This week, as a part of CHIR’s weekly Navigator Resource Guide series, we’ve highlighted FAQs discussing some of the pitfalls of buying a plan off-marketplace.

As Ground Ambulance Committee Begins Its Work, New Report on Balance Billing by Ground Ambulance Providers Highlights a Gap in the No Surprises Act

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On December 9, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the membership of the Advisory Committee on Ground Ambulance and Patient Billing, as required by the No Surprises Act (NSA). As the committee prepares to begin its work, there is new evidence out of Texas that the NSA’s exclusion of ground ambulance bills puts consumers at a significant financial risk when they need emergency medical transport.

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.