New Rules on Special Enrollment Periods: What Do They Mean for Consumers and the Assisters Who Help Them?

What triggers a special enrollment period to allow someone to enroll on the individual market outside of open enrollment has been a hot debated topic of late. Recently the administration issued a new rule tightening what life events trigger a special enrollment period. CHIR’s Sandy Ahn summarizes the new rule and what it means for consumers and the assisters that help them.
CHIR Expert Testifies Before U.S. House Committee on Affordable Care Act “Alternatives”
Taking a Look at ACA Non-Discrimination Rules: When Does Medical Management Cross the Line?

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.
New Georgetown Report: Understanding the Consumer Enrollment Experience in the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces

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.
The ACA is Helping Moms this Mother’s Day
Obama Administration Delays Implementation of Star Ratings, Transparency Requirements for Marketplace Health Plans
Major New Rule Seeks to Modernize & Improve Quality of Medicaid Managed Care
NAIC Roundup: Catching Up on the Spring Meeting and Looking Ahead
One Way Insurers Could Improve Marketplace Risk Pools? Stop Cannibalizing Their Own Business

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.