HHS Approves Nation’s First Section 1332 Waiver for a Public Option–Style Health Care Plan in Colorado

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently approved a new Section 1332 waiver authorizing Colorado’s public option-style law. The waiver approval marks the first time the federal government has taken action to approve state legislation introducing new, more heavily regulated plans into Affordable Care Act marketplaces to compete against traditional plans. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts dive into the details of Colorado’s law and waiver, and what they mean for future state action. 

CHIR Interactive Map Highlights New Details on No Surprises Act Enforcement

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The No Surprises Act (NSA) went into effect this year, providing new protections against surprise medical bills for patients who receive unanticipated out-of-network care. CHIR has analyzed state NSA implementation and enforcement schemes and published an interactive map for the Commonwealth Fund, providing details about policies such as state enforcement strategies and patient-provider dispute resolution. In the newest iteration of the map, CHIR added updates on state payment determination mechanisms and protections against surprise ground ambulance bills.

Delays Extending The American Rescue Plan’s Health Insurance Subsidies Will Raise Premiums And Reduce Coverage

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Congress has spent months debating an extension of enhanced premium tax credits enacted under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. However, as CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and the Urban Institute’s Jason Levitis discuss in this recent Health Affairs Forefront article, the clock is ticking. Continued delays would likely cause coverage losses and additional costs that wouldn’t be restored even if a subsidy extension is later enacted.

June Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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It’s finally summer, and during the latest heat wave, the CHIR team cooled off with new health policy research. In June, we reviewed studies on improving race and ethnicity data collection in health insurance marketplaces, the value of health savings accounts, and variation in medical debt accumulation across the U.S.

Improving Race and Ethnicity Data Collection: A First Step to Furthering Health Equity Through the State-Based Marketplaces

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The ACA’s marketplaces are working to advance health equity. State-based marketplaces are uniquely situated to improve health equity if they can close current gaps in race and ethnicity data. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Dania Palanker, Jalisa Clark, and Christine Monahan examine the landscape of marketplace race and ethnicity data, and detail strategies for the upcoming open enrollment period to improve data collection.

Understanding the Role of Private Equity in the Health Care Sector

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As private equity involvement in the health care industry increases, policymakers and other stakeholders are sounding the alarm and calling for better regulation to control costs and protect patients. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona takes a look at the role of private equity in the health care sector and how it impacts consumers.

Averting Premium Shock for Marketplace Consumers

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The American Rescue Plan Act has led to record-high marketplace enrollment and significant savings for millions of consumers. But the law’s enhanced marketplace subsidies are set to lapse at the end of the year. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, Katie Keith explains why there is urgency for Congress to act sooner rather than later.

May Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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This month, the CHIR team celebrated the end of the school year with new health policy research. For the latest installment of our monthly research roundup, we reviewed studies on access to providers in Medicaid managed care networks, how the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) affects state cost containment reforms, and the health coverage implications of the Biden administration’s recent changes to the public charge rule for immigrant communities.

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

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In a new report published in collaboration with the Milbank Memorial Fund, CHIR researchers examined policy interventions to expand primary care access in rural Grant County, New Mexico. The authors evaluated stakeholder efforts to increase the number of primary clinicians, bring outpatient clinics to the community, make primary care affordable, and build relationships between providers and patients.

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.