The latest round of news about insurance company exits and price increases in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces has sparked more hand-wringing about the future of the law. But to truly assess how the law is working, we need to remember where we were, before the ACA, and how far we have come. Sabrina Corlette takes us down memory lane.
A graph has been making the rounds on the internet comparing cumulative increases in deductibles since 2011 to growth in inflation, worker earnings and health insurance premiums since it was posted as part of a Wall Street Journal blog. But the graph only tells part of the story – the part that occurred after 2011. The story of increasing deductibles in employer based health insurance is a story that is over a decade in the making.
Narrow network plans, or plans with a limited network of providers, present problems for consumers across the various coverage programs. In May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the final rule setting network adequacy standards for Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans. The new rule requires states to set quantitative standards for network adequacy; but since these standards don’t apply uniformly to other federal programs, network adequacy – and access to essential health services – varies greatly for consumers based on what program they fall under.
The Obama Administration has delayed a promised rollout of a new network size rating system on healthcare.gov. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at the proposed ratings, the reasons for delay, and what it all means for consumers.
In a turbulent year for the Affordable Care Act, health insurers’ second-quarter earnings calls and financial filings can offer a glimpse of how they are faring on the ACA marketplaces and strategies for 2017. In their latest publication for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts Sabrina Corlette, Kevin Lucia and Emily Curran share key takeaways from these key insurance industry financial reports.
The Obama Administration is reviewing feedback on its proposed rule to clamp down on the sale of short-term health plans. If finalized, the rule could help stabilize the Affordable Care Act marketplaces – and help protect consumers from being duped into buying plans that don’t meet their health needs. CHIR’s Dania Palanker shares what she found in a review of what short-term plans actually cover, as well as the mix of industry responses to the Administration’s proposed regulation.
In the late 1990s, Medicare officials faced decisions by insurers to cancel nearly half of their Medicare Advantage contracts. In a new issue brief for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Georgetown experts Jack Hoadley and Sabrina Corlette assess the policies and strategies adopted to manage instability in the Medicare Advantage and Part D markets and whether they can be used to stabilize the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Key takeaways from that issue brief are shared here.
In the waning days of the Obama Administration, Affordable Care Act regulations continue to trickle out. A recent one from the Internal Revenue Service feels a little like a solution in search of a problem. JoAnn Volk takes a look.
A new issue brief published by the Commonwealth Fund and authored by CHIR’s newest faculty member, Dania Palanker, examines exclusions in insurance policies sold on the ACA marketplaces and finds that several have a disproportionate impact on women, limiting their access to care. Dania shares some highlights.
Small-business owners face unique challenges covering their employees; to lower barriers and increase options, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) created the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). In a new blog published by The Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts Emily Curran, Sabrina Corlette, and Kevin Lucia evaluate the current state of these marketplaces three years into implementation.
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.
