It is every patient’s dream to hear the words, “You’re cured.” Yet the ability to cure can come with a high cost, one that health insurers are often reluctant to cover. Georgetown University medical student Joshua Barrett examines recent proposals for unique payment mechanisms for high-cost interventions that could perhaps change the way they are priced and financed.
High drug prices have been in the news lately, and consumers are bearing an ever-greater burden of those drug prices through health plan cost-sharing. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers Sabrina Corlette, Ashley Williams and Justin Giovannelli analyze state policies to try to protect consumers from high drug costs.
While many consumers with marketplace coverage will be eligible for automatic renewal, there are many reasons for all consumers to shop to renew this year. For example, price changes to health plans as well as changes to the health plans themselves will impact the amount of premium tax credits and coverage for many consumers. We go over the reasons why all consumers should shop to renew this open enrollment.
Medical students are taught to care for the whole person. Shouldn’t that include care for the patient’s wallet, as well? As insurers increasingly shift costs to enrollees, Georgetown University medical student Joshua Barrett considers the role of the physician – and medical education – in helping patients stay both physically and financially healthy.
Open Enrollment 3 (OE3) is now underway and by all accounts, things are going smoothly. There are a few minor kinks with the out-of-pocket cost calculator, which officials have fixed or are working on fixing now. CHIR highlights two consumer facing tools that healthcare.gov is pilot testing and should be available to all users before the end of open enrollment.
Federal Affordable Care Act rules require the states to revisit the standard scope of benefits for individual and small business health plans – called essential health benefits or EHB – and determine whether revisions are needed. In a new blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts examine how the states approached this task, and what it might mean for consumers.
CHIR is pleased to release an updated online Navigator Guide on Private Health Insurance and Health Insurance Marketplaces with searchable frequently asked questions (FAQs) and easy-to-read background information on key health insurance and marketplace issues. With Open Enrollment just a few days away, get your Guide on!
The third open enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces begins on Sunday, November 1. The administration has released new data showing average health plan rate changes, with an average increase nationwide of 7.5 percent compared to 2015. Our colleague Tricia Brooks breaks down what these rate changes mean for consumers.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners wrapped up work on recommended changes to the Summary of Benefits and Coverage. JoAnn Volk provides an update on what some of those changes are and how consumers may benefit.
We’re counting down again to Open Enrollment 3 and this year, all health plans must make accessing provider directories and formularies, or the list of covered prescription drugs, easy for consumers. This means consumers should be able to find this information on insurer website sites without creating an account or entering a policy number. CHIR’s Sandy Ahn flexes her investigative skills and looks to see how accessible this information really is.
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.
