The ACA prohibits benefit limits and cost sharing that discriminate against individuals based on health status and other factors, but federal rules also stress that insurers can continue to use reasonable medical management, which would allow benefit limits based on certain circumstances. JoAnn Volk looks at what this may mean for regulators and consumers trying to tell the difference.
A new report released by Georgetown CHIR researchers used call center data from the Assister Help Resource Center to provide insights into consumer experiences enrolling in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces during the 2016 enrollment season. Authors Sabrina Corlette, Sandy Ahn and Hannah Ellison share some of their top findings.
A new Urban Institute study examines data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to analyze trends in insurance coverage for mothers. Our Center for Children and Families’ colleague Alisa Chester takes a look at their findings.
On April 29, the Obama Administration signaled a phased-in approach to implementing the quality rating system for marketplace health plans. Officials also released a final proposal implementing the Affordable Care Act’s transparency rules. Sabrina Corlette provides an update.
Last week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a much-anticipated final rule on Medicaid managed care, marking the first update to the rules governing Medicaid MCOs in over a decade. Our colleague with Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Kelly Whitener, takes a look.
The NAIC held its Spring Meeting earlier this month and looked at SEPs, balance billing, risk adjustment and more. JoAnn Volk sums up the meeting and looks ahead to work to come.
It’s starting to be as predictable as April showers. As soon as open enrollment for ACA health plans closes, insurers come out of the woodwork to sell limited coverage insurance products, such as short-term policies, that don’t meet ACA standards. Sabrina Corlette explains why doing so is siphoning off healthy risk from the marketplaces and undermining the profitability of ACA-compliant plans.
Florida is the latest state to enact legislation protecting its residents for unexpected medical bills or surprise bills. CHIR’s Sandy Ahn, Jack Hoadley and Sabrina Corlette summarize the key components of this consumer facing law.
With health insurers’ rate filings looming on the horizon, many are concerned we’ll see proposed premium increases for 2017. But a report released last week demonstrates that, behind the headlines, consumers are likely to see more affordable premiums after they’ve shopped for the best deal. At the same time, another study shows that consumers’ out-of-pocket costs for health services are steadily rising. Sean Miskell has the details.
On Thursday, April 14, CHIR’s own Sabrina Corlette testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Education and Workforce Committee. The hearing focused on innovations in employer-sponsored health insurance, and included discussion of workplace wellness programs, private insurance exchanges, and multi-payer delivery system reform efforts.
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