Comparing Short-term Health Plans is Practically Impossible for Consumers

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The Trump administration has promoted short-term health plans as a cheap substitute for comprehensive, Affordable Care Act-compliant health insurance. In this guest post for CHIRblog, former Montana insurance regulator Christina L. Goe reviewed a wide range short-term plan policies and found multiple confusing and complicated plan terms that make it difficult for consumers to assess and compare plans and could expose them to considerable financial risk.

Limitations of Short-Term Health Plans Persist Despite Predictions That They’d Evolve

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The Congressional Budget Office and others predicted that short-term health plans would become more generous in the wake of the Trump administration’s policy to encourage their use as an alternative to Affordable Care Act coverage. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts reviewed over 400 short-term plan policies to determine if, in fact, they have become more comprehensive over time.

One Victim of the COVID-19 Pandemic? State Health Policy

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State legislative sessions are typically a flurry of health policy activity. In recent years, state lawmakers have taken action to stabilize their insurance markets and increase access to coverage. But like so many other constants we have come to rely on, state legislative sessions took a hit this year from the novel coronavirus pandemic, putting current and future state policy initiatives in jeopardy.

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.

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.