aca implementation

Turf Battle or Promising Partnership? Understanding Marketplaces’ Responsibility to Offer Affordable Health Insurance

Posted September 25, 2014 by

Local press in D.C. recently reported on a “turf battle” between the health insurance marketplace and DC’s Department of Insurance over the review of proposed rate increases. But their roles are more complementary than conflicting. Sabrina Corlette examines how the Affordable Care Act envisions the marketplaces and state insurance departments working together to help consumers obtain better, more affordable health insurance.

New Issue Brief Reviews Employee Choice in Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplaces

Posted September 22, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) aims to improve access to health insurance coverage for small-business employees by creating a Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) Marketplace in every state. One key feature of SHOP Marketplaces is employee choice whereby employees can select among multiple insurers and plans for health insurance coverage that best suits their needs. CHIR’s Sarah Dash and Kevin Lucia review how SHOPs are implementing employee choice in a new Health Policy Brief published by Health Affairs.

Major Minnesota Insurer Withdraws from State Marketplace: What Does it Mean for Consumers?

Posted September 17, 2014 by

A major insurance company in Minnesota recently announced it would withdraw from the state’s health insurance marketplace. What does this decision mean for the marketplace and the consumers it serves? Sabrina Corlette offers up her take.

We Can Fix This, People! More than Half of Uninsured Parents Are Hispanic

Posted September 12, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

A recent Urban Institute study found that over half (57 percent) of uninsured parents are Hispanic. Our colleague from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, Sonya Schwartz, discusses some of the factors that limit the accessibility of coverage for Hispanic and Spanish-speaking individuals, and offers strategies to fix the problems.

Do Nothing to Renew or Get an Updated Eligibility Determination? CMS Puts out Final Marketplace Renewal Rules

Posted September 7, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

Last week the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published final rules for the health insurance marketplaces and participating insurers to renew consumers into coverage for 2015. Our colleague from Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, discusses what the rule means for consumers and their families.

Consumer Assistance: Getting the Most Out of Limited Resources

Posted August 25, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

While open enrollment is less than three months away, consumer assisters will have to do more with less. Resources will be limited, even though the Congressional Budget Office projects more than 5 million more people will enroll through a marketplace. CHIR’s Sandy Ahn examines support from the state and federal marketplaces for consumer assistance funding.

The Next Frontier: Insurance Marketplaces That Promote Quality Improvement

Posted August 21, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

While most state-based marketplaces in 2014 are rightly focused on the operational challenges of connecting people with coverage, over time technical improvements will allow them to prioritize providing better quality, more cost-effective care to enrollees. CHIR experts Sabrina Corlette and Sarah Dash, in their latest blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, discuss the opportunities and challenges for states working to implement the ACA’s quality improvement initiatives.

New Issue Brief Examines Specialty Drugs in Tiered Pharmacy Benefit Structures

Posted August 17, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

Health plans have been increasingly using tiered pharmacy benefit designs. These new designs raise challenges for consumers and the state insurance regulators responsible for reviewing and approving plans for sale. CHIR faculty members Sally McCarty and David Cusano explore these issues in a new brief for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health Reform Assistance Network.

CHIR Launches First in Video Series: Coffee Conversations on Timely Health Insurance Topics

Posted August 15, 2014 by

We at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms are excited to share the first of an upcoming video series on timely health insurance topics. In our debut video, CHIR experts Sabrina Corlette, JoAnn Volk, and Dave Cusano provide a preview of upcoming action at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) national meeting to address concerns about network adequacy of health plans offered through the new health insurance Marketplaces.

After Halbig: Considerations for States Revisiting the Option to Establish a State-Based Marketplace

Posted August 14, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

A federal appeals court’s ruling that premium subsidies aren’t available for consumers who purchase health coverage through one of the ACA’s federally run insurance marketplaces could have drastic consequences. But policymakers in the 34 states with a federal marketplace have options for protecting their residents. In one of CHIR’s blogs for the Commonwealth Fund, Kevin Lucia and Justin Giovannelli discuss those options here.