New Georgetown Report Reviews State Efforts to Enforce Mental Health Parity

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The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) aims to remove insurance-related obstacles to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, but inadequate compliance has raised questions about health plan enrollees’ ability to access critical behavioral health services. In a new issue brief, CHIR experts look at current barriers to effective state enforcement and identify opportunities to improve MHPAEA compliance.

September Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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It’s officially fall, and along with the new season came an autumnal bounty of new health policy research. This month, we reviewed studies on the connection between medical debt and social determinants of health, private equity acquisition of physician practices, and controlling health care costs through state surprise billing laws.

What’s New for 2023 Marketplace Enrollment?

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The annual open enrollment period for Marketplace coverage is right around the corner, running from November 1 through January 15 in most states. There are many new policies impacting the Marketplace in 2023, including an extension of enhanced financial assistance through the Inflation Reduction Act; a federal fix to the “family glitch” that will create more affordable coverage opportunities for families; and tools to make shopping for a Marketplace plan more consumer-friendly. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker summarizes these and other recent policy changes that consumers may encounter this year.

Nevada Actuarial Study Projects Significant Savings from Public Option Plans

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Last week, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services released the results of an actuarial study projecting hundreds of millions of dollars in savings from the state’s Public Option plans within the program’s first few years. CHIR’s Christine Monahan takes a look at the estimated impact of the state’s public option-style law.

Hospital And Insurer Price Transparency Rules Now In Effect But Compliance Is Still Far Away

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Hospitals and health insurers are now required to publicly post their prices for health care services. However, as Maanasa Kona and Sabrina Corlette observe in their latest Health Affairs Forefront blog, the new disclosure requirements have not – yet – translated into data that can be used to identify the drivers of health care cost growth. Their piece identifies options for federal and state regulators to improve compliance and ultimately help support informed health care purchasing and policy decisions.

The Feds Crack Down on Sham Insurance: New Court Order to Protect Consumers from Deceptive Marketing

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Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took action against Benefytt Technologies, finding the company relied on deceptive websites, high-pressure sales tactics, and misleading information to push consumers into enrolling in junk plans, and then made it difficult for consumers to cancel their coverage. CHIR’s prior research on the marketing of junk plans shows that these tactics are neither new nor unique.

Federal Court Decision Threatens the ACA’s Preventive Services Benefit: State Options to Mitigate Harm to Consumers

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A federal judge in Texas has ruled that Affordable Care Act requirements that insurers cover and waive cost-sharing for preventive services is unconstitutional. While the case is likely to be appealed, states can act now to preserve residents’ access to affordable and often life-saving preventive care. In a new Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies project, Sabrina Corlette and Justin Giovannelli outline how.

August Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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For the August edition of our monthly research roundup, CHIR said farewell to summer by reviewing the latest health policy research. This month, we summarize studies on how the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will impact health coverage, global efforts to achieve universal health coverage, and the effects of eliminating nominal marketplace premiums.

CHIR Welcomes Three New Faculty Members

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CHIR is delighted to welcome three new faculty members to our team: Research Professor Linda Blumberg, Senior Research Fellow Karen Davenport, and Assistant Research Professor Vrudhi Raimugia.

Third Time is the Charm? Proposed Regulations Strengthen Nondiscrimination Protections for Health Insurance Enrollees

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For the third time, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights has proposed rules to effectuate the application of civil rights protections to the health care industry under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act. If finalized, the regulation will have significant implications for health insurers and provide important nondiscrimination protections for insurance enrollees.

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.