A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzes the relative adequacy of provider networks of health plans sold through the new insurance marketplaces and those offered through state Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). Sean Miskell, our colleague at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, takes a look.
It’s tax time, so consumers are figuring out how to report their health insurance coverage as they prepare to file. CHIR’s Navigator Resource Guide has answers to some frequently asked questions. Hannah Ellison shares highlights.
In the wake of the Affordable Care Act’s insurance market reforms, policy experts have raised concerns that there could be greater incentives for small businesses to self-fund their health plans. Self-funding can be attractive for some small groups, but also can pose significant risks. In the wake of a white paper from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, two states have stepped up to address concerns. Ashley Williams has the latest.
At last, the Internal Revenue Service has released guidance about what to do when a consumer has overlapping coverage through Medicaid and the Marketplace. Our colleague Tricia Brooks of Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families has the details.
The latest financial filings with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners show that 2015 was a rough year for the CO-OP plans created under the ACA. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette takes a look at some of the reasons the CO-OPs have struggled.
When the administration finalized Marketplace regulations for 2017 and beyond earlier this week, it officially expanded roles for Navigators. While much of what CHIRblog had previously described under the proposed rule from November has been retained in the final rules, Sandy Ahn provides a brief update of the additional Navigator duties.
Last week, HHS, Treasury and Labor released a proposed revised template for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage, giving the public 30 days to comment. JoAnn Volk provides an update on the long road to these changes, including key changes sought by consumers.
The Affordable Care Act brought the promise of affordable coverage to many lawfully present immigrants but many continue to face challenges when applying through healthcare.gov. Our colleague Sonya Schwartz of Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families shares the top takeaways from her recently published report, which provides a roadmap that the marketplaces can use to to smooth the path to enrollment for immigrant families.
The administration recently announced that it will require verifying documents from consumers with a qualifying life change for special enrollment periods. For consumers, this means more work and likely a bumpy road to accessing health insurance through healthcare.gov. Sandy Ahn takes a look at this change and what it may mean for consumers.
Beginning in 2017, states can pursue “innovation waivers” under section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act. These waivers allow states to pursue broad alternatives or targeted fixes to the ACA. In their latest blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers Kevin Lucia, Justin Giovannelli, Sean Miskell and Ashley Williams examine the waiver applications that have been submitted so far, as well as activity in states considering a waiver.
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.
