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.
Last month, the Biden administration published a third rule implementing the No Surprises Act, the comprehensive federal law banning balance bills in emergency and certain non-emergency settings beginning January 1, 2022. The interim final rule (IFR) provides details on the independent dispute resolution process, protections for uninsured patients, and more. In a new Expert Perspective for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies program, CHIR experts provide a summary of the IFR, identifying implications and considerations for states.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a greater need for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) services, but many have difficulty obtaining timely, affordable care, including the insured. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) requires plans and insurers that cover MH/SUD services to cover those services in parity with other medical benefits. CHIR’s JoAnn Volk looks at state and federal enforcement of mental health parity requirements, and what these efforts mean for consumers.
Open Enrollment is underway, and our newly updated Navigator Resource Guide can help Navigators and consumers throughout the entire enrollment process. During Open Enrollment, CHIR will highlight FAQs that are likely top of mind for consumers and those assisting them. This week, CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker focuses on who is eligible for marketplace coverage.
We’re a week into Affordable Care Act marketplace open enrollment, and it looks like the three newest state-based marketplaces, Kentucky, Maine, and New Mexico, are off to a solid start. The transition away from the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, has taken time, effort, and an up-front investment in the new state-run platforms and other SBM infrastructure. CHIR’s Rachel Swindle takes a look at some of the challenges and opportunities for states running their own marketplaces.
Just in time for Open Enrollment, CHIR updated and improved the Navigator Resource Guide, a practical, hands-on resource with over 300 frequently asked questions, state-specific fact sheets, a spotlight on outreach strategies, and more.
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.
