Are Surprise Billing Payments Likely to Lead to Inflation in Health Spending?

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Under the No Surprises Act, enacted in December of 2020, federal regulators face a balancing act as they develop a mechanism for determining payments to out-of-network providers for covered services. The law also provides for deference to state mechanisms, where they exist. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Jack Hoadley and Kevin Lucia assess the implications for provider payment as well as long term impacts on health care spending.

State-Based Marketplaces Gear Up to Implement the American Rescue Plan

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The state-based health insurance marketplaces are taking varied approaches to implementing the enhanced premium tax credits provided under the American Rescue Plan. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and Rachel Schwab review these states’ decisions and their impact on when and how consumers will access health plans with more affordable premiums.

Minority Health Month: National Latino Week of Action

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April is Minority Health Month, a good time to consider ways to reduce the wide disparities in health insurance access and coverage that particularly affect people of color. For the National Latino Week of Action, CHIR looks at changes in the uninsured rate among the Latino/Hispanic community, and identifies opportunities to build on coverage gains thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

Hybrid Approach to Resolving Payment Disputes Breaks Legislative Stalemates Over Balance Billing, How Will the No Surprises Act Affect These New State Laws?

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Seven states in 2020 were able to break a longstanding stalemate and enact protections against surprise out-of-network billing. CHIR’s Jack Hoadley and Kevin Lucia delve into the factors that got these states across the finish line and how the federal No Surprises Act will impact these states’ new laws.

March Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

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The CHIR team is excited to transition into spring, as with the warmer weather has come some great new health policy research! This month, Nia Gooding reviewed studies on best practices for implementing the No Surprises Act, the American Rescue Plan Act’s effect on insurance premiums, demographic variations in the U.S. uninsured population, and models for implementing a public option.

The No Surprises Act and Preemption of State Balance Billing Protections

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The No Surprises Act of 2020 sets up a new national framework to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical billing. There have been numerous questions about whether and how the new federal law will preempt existing state protections. CHIR experts have prepared a handy fact sheet to walk through the nuances.

Rookie Report: How did New Jersey and Pennsylvania State Marketplaces Fare in Their Inaugural Enrollment Period?

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After seven enrollment cycles on HealthCare.gov, New Jersey and Pennsylvania both launched new state marketplace websites in time for the latest Open Enrollment Period. Both states saw increases in marketplace enrollment over previous years. To understand how this transition went for Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents, and to extract potential lessons for the states that are transitioning to running their own marketplaces, we sought insight from people on the ground: consumer assisters.

New Georgetown CHIR Report: Taking the Disputes out of Dispute Resolution

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The U.S. Congress enacted the No Surprises Act in 2020 to protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills. Now the federal agencies need to set up a process to resolve disputes between these providers and insurance companies. CHIR experts examine the experience in four states with similar dispute resolution programs and share lessons that can be applied at the national level.

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.