U.S. House Investigation Offers New Evidence on the Dangers of Short-Term Plans

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On June 25, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released the results of a year-long investigation into the practices of the Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance industry. The Committee looked into 14 companies that sell or assist consumers in enrolling in short-term plans, and its findings confirm what we have known for some time – short-term plans are a bad deal for consumers. CHIR’s Emily Curran discusses five highlights from the Committee’s report, including new evidence on the status of the STLDI market.

June Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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This month, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe read studies on the novel coronavirus’ potential impact on insurance coverage, individual market enrollment trends during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role provider directories play in surprise billing.

Update on Federal Mandates to Cover COVID-19 Testing Services: New Guidance for States, Plans, and Insurers

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The Trump administration recently issued guidance to health insurers, determining that they are not required to cover workplace or public health surveillance testing for COVID-19. In a recent post for the State Health & Value Strategies project, Sabrina Corlette assesses what this latest federal interpretation means for states’ efforts to combat the pandemic.

The COVID-19 Pandemic – Insurer Insights Into Challenges, Implications, and Lessons Learned

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The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has placed enormous pressure on virtually all facets of U.S. society. Much attention has appropriately been placed on the efforts of health care providers to deliver care to those infected with COVID-19. However, less is known about the experiences of the health insurers who reimburse those health care providers for the care they deliver. In a new report supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, insurance experts at CHIR and the Urban Institute share findings from interviews with executives at 25 health insurance companies on their impressions of the ongoing ramifications of the pandemic and their response to the crisis.

Effects of Medicaid Health Plan Dominance on the Health Insurance Marketplaces

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Medicaid insurers dominate many of the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces. Some health system stakeholders have raised concerns about the potential negative consequences of Medicaid insurer participation in the market, largely due to their limited networks. In a new report supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CHIR and Urban Institute experts assess how Medicaid insurers function in the marketplace.

On the Whole, Health Insurers Aren’t – Yet – Fearing COVID-19 Costs: A Review of 2021 Rate Filings

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Several states ask for – and publicly post – health insurers’ proposed 2021 premium rates in May and June. These early rate filings can provide hints about how insurers are responding to market trends, policy changes, and emerging drivers of health care costs. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette took a deep dive into insurers’ actuarial memos to find out how they’re thinking about COVID-19, repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate penalty, and more.

Should States’ COVID-19 Insurance Coverage Mandates Be Extended Past the Current State of Emergency?

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Many states acted to expand access to health care services as part of the fight against COVID-19, mandating that insurers cover and reduce consumers’ costs for COVID-19 and other health care services. Now that the public health emergency orders in many states are expiring, what, if any, of these insurance mandates should be retained? In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and Madeline O’Brien assess states’ options.

Instead of Encouraging Enrollment in Comprehensive Health Coverage, New Federal Guidance Requires Taxpayers to Subsidize Health Care Sharing Ministries

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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRS has published a proposed rule that would grant tax advantages reserved for insurance to individuals’ spending on health care sharing ministries, raising real questions about using federal funds to promote a coverage option that fails to provide consumers with financial protection for health care expenses. JoAnn Volk walks through the proposed rule and its potential implications for consumers.

May Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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This May, we explored studies assessing COVID-19’s effect on community health centers, data on racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality rates, and changes in health spending and utilization during the crisis.

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.