For November’s monthly roundup of new health policy research, CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker reviewed studies about insurer participation in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, how private equity ownership of air ambulances impacts surprise bills, and how pending legislation to fill the Medicaid “coverage gap” could affect hospital finances.
The Biden administration has announced a new policy to require health plans to pay for at-home COVID-19 tests. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette walks through the pros and cons of their approach.
Enrolling in coverage on the marketplace requires comparing different health plans and decide which one best fits their needs for the upcoming year. To avoid unwelcome surprises, it’s crucial that consumers have an accurate understanding of plan options will and will not cover. This week, we highlight FAQs from CHIR’s updated Navigator Resource Guide about marketplace plans’ coverage standards.
This open enrollment, Washington State residents can once again purchase first-in-the-nation public option-style plans. Last year, Washington’s publicly procured plans—touted as a mechanism to improve affordability and competition in the marketplace—were less available and more expensive than proponents had hoped. In 2022, the second year of the program, these plans will offer average rate decreases and are available in a greater number of counties, an encouraging sign for the viability of Washington’s public option.
Open Enrollment is in full swing, but consumers should beware of “junk plans” when shopping for health insurance. As part of CHIR’s weekly series highlighting FAQs from our updated Navigator Resource Guide, we examine the risks of buying a plan outside of the marketplace.
Insurers are still required to fully cover COVID-19 testing, but finding a free test is a lot more difficult than it was last year. As we approach holiday gatherings, the need for affordable and accessible COVID-19 testing is critical. CHIR’s Megan Houston reviews the current state of COVID-19 testing coverage and considers what might be done to improve accessibility.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the “Build Back Better Act” with provisions that significantly improve the affordability and accessibility of health insurance coverage, and the Senate is expected to act on the bill later this year. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette teamed up with experts at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families to summarize the Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurance policies in the bill.
As part of CHIR’s weekly series highlighting FAQs from our updated Navigator Resource Guide, we highlight questions and answers regarding financial assistance available through the marketplaces.
The Affordable Care Act improved insurance coverage of gender-affirming care, but insurers still impose coverage restrictions that result in discriminatory barriers for transgender people seeking health care services. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, Katie Keith reviews the history and current landscape of insurance coverage of gender-affirming care, including Colorado’s changes to its Essential Health Benefits benchmark plan that are aimed at closing coverage gaps.
In January, the No Surprises Act will provide landmark protections against surprise billing, but ground ambulance services are excluded from the new safeguards. In a post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts discuss challenges related to ground ambulance reimbursement and state strategies for protecting consumers from surprise bills.
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.
