States Take Action on Health Care Sharing Ministries, But More Could Be Done to Protect Consumers

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In the last year, state regulators have stepped up their scrutiny of health care sharing ministries to warn consumers of their limits. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR’s JoAnn Volk and Justin Giovannelli look at recent state action to protect consumers from the risks of health care sharing ministries and map out other options for states to step up their scrutiny of these arrangements.

Update on Federal Surprise Billing Legislation: New Bills Contain Key Differences

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Congressional leaders are racing to meet a self-imposed May deadline for passing legislation to protect consumers from surprise medical billing. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, Jack Hoadley, Beth Fuchs, and Kevin Lucia identify key similarities and differences among competing proposals, and provide a comprehensive side-by-side guide to the key committee bills.

There Are New Federal “Public Charge” Rules Going Into Effect Next Week: Here’s What You Need to Know

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Beginning February 24, 2020, new rules that expand the criteria for determining whether certain immigrants would be considered a “public charge” are going into effect. While appeals of these new expanded rules make their way through the courts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the policy may take effect in all states except Illinois, where a separate injunction remains statewide. As the changing rules can be confusing for consumers and assisters, we’ve updated our Navigator Resource Guide to help break it down.

A Mixed Bag for States: The Proposed 2021 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters

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The Trump administration’s proposed rule governing the Affordable Care Act insurance markets for 2021 has been published, and comments are due from the public by March 2, 2020. In her latest article for the State Health & Value Strategies program, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette provides a detailed overview of changes proposed in the rule, with a focus on the implications for state departments of insurance and the health insurance marketplaces.

January Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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To kick off 2020, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe reviews studies on out-of-network billing from hospital-based physicians, the Affordable Care Act’s effect on racial and ethnic access disparities, health care market consolidation, and 2020 marketplace premiums and insurer participation.

Payer-Provider Contract Disputes Dominate Headlines in 2019, With No Signs of Slowing Down

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For several years, we at CHIR have tracked health insurance industry trends by monitoring trade and mass media, Wall Street analyses, earnings, and other reports. In 2019, we observed an increase in reporting on contract disputes between health insurers and providers. These discussions are becoming more contentious as insurers face mounting pressure to rein in health care costs while ensuring consumers’ access to providers. CHIR’s Emily Curran digs into what’s behind the trend and what it means for patients.

The Texas Two-Step: Implementation of State Balance Billing Law Reveals Gaps in Consumer Protections

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In Congress and state legislatures across the country, policymakers are debating fixes to surprise medical bills. The federal government has yet to enact comprehensive reforms, but a number of states have taken steps to protect consumers. One such state is Texas, which last year enacted a new law holding consumers harmless in situations that commonly lead to surprise medical bills. However, the state’s new protections were almost gutted due to an implementation loophole, a cautionary tale for federal and state policymakers. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab takes a look at what happened in Texas.

So, You’ve Got Health Insurance. What Now? Frequently Asked Questions on Post-Enrollment Issues

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Open Enrollment ended in most states on December 15, 2019. In the remaining states, Open Enrollment ends this month. For the majority of Americans who enrolled in health insurance before the December 15 deadline and paid their first premium, insurance should now be kicking in. We’ve collected a series of frequently asked questions from our Navigator Resource Guide on post-enrollment issues to help consumers navigate their first few months of having a new insurance plan.

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.