…Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) indicated that the state benchmark approach was a transitional policy. HHS revisited its rules earlier this year and provided states with the opportunity to select a new benchmark for the 2017 plan year using the same process and plan options available in 2014. In a new blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, Justin…
…Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families. The Guide is a hands-on, practical resource for navigators and anyone who needs to communicate with consumers about private health insurance and the Affordable Care Act. It’s organized into four sections: (1) People without coverage, (2) People with coverage, (3) Employers offering coverage, and (4) Post-enrollment problems with coverage. The (FAQs) reflect a wide…
By Tricia Brooks, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families Yesterday, CMS announced that premium costs for 2016 Silver benchmark plans (that’s the second lowest cost Silver plan) will increase by an average of 7.5% compared to 2015. However, there is significant variability in the differences ranging from an average 12.6% drop in premiums in Indiana (yes, that’s minus 12.6%)…
Last week CHIRblog readers had a report on the NAIC’s work updating the network adequacy model act. In another NAIC committee, the Consumer Information Subgroup of the Health (B) Committee, work wrapped up on recommended changes to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) template. The SBC is one of the most popular provisions of the ACA. The standard format…
…marketplaces feature a “shop and compare” tool that allows consumers to compare plans. While both tools ask for income, household, and zip code information to direct consumers to plans available in their location, both tools allow consumers to shop anonymously. Consumers don’t have to put in personal information like their name or an email address to use the tool. And…
By Claire McAndrew, Private Insurance Program Director, Families USA In November, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the organization composed of insurance regulators from every state in the nation, will finalize a model law to help states ensure that consumers can get access to the right health care, at the right time, without unreasonable delay. Dubbed the Network Adequacy…
…out there, Charles Gaba of ACAsignups.net, projects a number in the middle – 14.7 million enrolled in marketplace plans. There are several good reasons for enrollment to be lower than CBO projections. Many people haven’t explored the ACA’s marketplaces because they remain on non-ACA compliant policies that they’ll be allowed to renew into 2016, thanks to the Obama Administration’s transitional…
By Jordan Messner, Graduate Research Intern, Georgetown University Center for Children and Families The Kaiser Family Foundation published a report on October 13 examining the uninsured population in the United States and their options for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The report found that although 32.3 million nonelderly people were uninsured at the beginning of 2015, 49% of…
…to recognize the importance of collecting and analyzing data, it’s not clear that our government regulators do. Comments are due shortly on CCIIO’s proposed data collection under the ACA’s transparency rules. As consumer advocates and other stakeholders consider how to respond to CCIIO’s proposed approach, a report on how insurers are using so-called “Big Data” shows just how much data…
It’s all about enrollment as we count down to Open Enrollment 3 less than a month away. One resource that will come in handy is the FFM and FF-SHOP Enrollment Manual that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published. Chock full of all things related to enrollment, the almost 150-page guidance document provides operational policy and guidance…
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