A growing number of states are taking action to reform facility fee billing practices, but opposition from hospital associations can stall these efforts. Several states have enacted legislation mandating facility fee studies instead of reforms. CHIR’s Rachel Swindle explores some lessons learned from these states and how studies can be leveraged to lead to meaningful consumer protections.
April showers bring…cozy rainy days to catch up on the latest health policy research. This month we read about public option plans, provider price regulation, and self-reported insurance coverage during the Medicaid unwinding.
CHIR is delighted to welcome two new faculty members: Amy Killelea and Leila Sullivan.
Lack of access to care for behavioral health conditions is a longstanding issue. In a recent post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts JoAnn Volk and Justin Giovannelli reviewed state and federal access standards for behavioral health providers and services.
A growing body of evidence suggests private equity investments in health care have raised provider prices and reduced care quality in certain settings. In a new Health Affairs Forefront article, Linda Blumberg and Kennah Watts look at the track record of private equity acquisitions and how cost-containment efforts could help mitigate private equity’s influence and improve patient outcomes.
Federal regulations require hospitals and insurers to publish negotiated prices. States are also playing a role in this effort by monitoring compliance with the federal rules and implementing other policies to educate consumers and improve this cost-containment tool. In their recent Health Affairs Forefront article, Maanasa Kona and Nadia Stovicek look at state actions to promote price transparency.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recently released a final rule setting standards for the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces and health insurers for plan year 2025. In their latest Health Affairs Forefront article, Sabrina Corlette and Jason Levitis discuss the new Marketplace standards, insurance reforms, and policies concerning Advance Premium Tax Credits.
Last month the Biden administration finalized rules establishing new standards and disclosure requirements for certain limited benefit products. In one of her recent Health Affairs Forefront articles, Sabrina Corlette takes a look at what’s in the final regulations.
As another tax filing season comes to a close, millions of Americans have reduced their taxable income through accounts that help pay for medical costs using a “health savings account” (HSA). Members of Congress have put forth bipartisan proposals to expand HSAs, but with the benefits of these accounts primarily accruing to healthier and wealthier Americans, expanding this option could exacerbate an already regressive tax break without improving access to coverage or care.
Thanks to daylight savings in March, CHIR had more time to keep up with the latest health policy research. Last month, we read studies about Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans and enrollee characteristics, Georgia’s reinsurance waiver, and Oregon’s hospital price cap.
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.
