CHIR Welcomes Back New Faculty: Christine Monahan

CHIR is pleased to welcome Christine Monahan, J.D. back to our team as an Assistant Research Professor. Christine will be working with us on a range of issues, including coverage expansion and affordability. Join us in welcoming her back to the CHIR family.

May Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

With another month comes a new crop of health policy research. This May, Nia Gooding reviewed studies on the demographic makeup of the uninsured population eligible for marketplace coverage, the association between hospital-physician integration and unnecessary patient referrals, and rationales for replacing silver loading for Marketplace coverage.

A Permanent Boost to Federal Premium Assistance Could Change State Approaches to ACA 1332 Waivers

The American Rescue Plan temporarily increases the availability and generosity of federal premium assistance for people who obtain coverage through the ACA marketplaces. Were Congress to make these premium subsidy enhancements permanent, states would have more breathing space to address other barriers to care, potentially with support from an ACA Section 1332 waiver. In a new work for The Commonwealth Fund, Justin Giovannelli examines how a permanent boost to federal subsidies could give states new and different opportunities to help their residents using the ACA’s waiver program.

The Affordable Care Act in the Biden Era: Identifying Federal Priorities for Administrative Action

The Biden administration has pledged to use its executive authority to build on and improve the Affordable Care Act. In a new issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, Katie Keith analyzes recommendations to the Biden–Harris presidential transition team made by patient and consumer advocates, health insurers, hospitals, physicians, state marketplace officials, and state insurance commissioners to identify high-priority policy changes.

Figuring out if COBRA Coverage is Right for You

By the end of May, employers must notify eligible employees and former employees about the COBRA subsidies under the American Rescue Plan. Many of these folks may also be eligible for enhanced premium tax credits through the Affordable Care Act. CHIR’s Maanasa Kona walks through the different coverage options available.

Out of the Fire and Back in Federal Court: This Mother’s Day, Another Challenge to the ACA Puts Access to Preventive Services at Risk

This Mother’s Day, CHIR’s Rachel Schwab and Nia Gooding assessed the potential impact of a new legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for women. Judge Reed O’Connor has recently allowed a challenge to the ACA’s preventive services coverage provision to move forward in a U.S. district court. Invalidating this provision could jeopardize access to a broad set of preventive services for millions of women. 

The Final 2022 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters: Implications for States

In its first major rulemaking related to the Affordable Care Act, the Biden administration published the final 2022 “Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters” on April 30. Sabrina Corlette reviews the rule and its implications for state insurance regulation and the health insurance marketplaces in her latest “Expert Perspective” for the State Health & Value Strategies project.

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.