Limited networks have become increasingly common on ACA marketplaces, comprising almost half of all offerings during the first two years of the exchanges. In a new policy brief for Health Affairs, CHIR experts Justin Giovannelli, Kevin Lucia, and Sabrina Corlette examine what the states and the federal government are doing to ensure that marketplace plan networks are adequate and transparent.
On Friday, July 15, CHIR’s very own Kevin Lucia spoke at a briefing on ACA marketplaces put on by the Alliance for Health Reform. Mr. Lucia joined representatives from the Commonwealth Fund, the American Academy of Actuaries, and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to discuss the outlook for federally facilitated and state-based exchanges as the fourth open enrollment period approaches in November.
State insurance legislators held their national meeting in Portland, Oregon last week, and the demise of 16 health insurance CO-OPs created under the Affordable Care Act was high on the agenda. CHIR’s own Sabrina Corlette was invited to provide legislators with testimony about the CO-OP program’s troubles. Key takeaways from the meeting – and next steps for state policymakers – are provided here.
As ACA opponents continue to vilify, challenge and undermine the law, four states that have been vocal opponents of the law have taken action recently to enforce federal rules, protect consumers and stabilize their markets. JoAnn Volk sums up the state action.
The Obama Administration has announced several new strategies to boost enrollment among young adults in the health insurance marketplaces. These are helpful and important, but CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette observes they haven’t yet fixed an enrollment glitch that particularly affects adult children under age 26.
In the debate over Medicaid expansion, most of the attention has been on families in non-expansion states who are shut out of coverage. But what about those just above the poverty line who are eligible for marketplace tax credits? A new study compares their experience to those with similar incomes in Medicaid expansion states. Sean Miskell shares the findings.
California will soon be requesting a waiver from federal officials that would enable the state health insurance marketplace to enroll immigrants who are not lawfully present into coverage. Our colleague at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Sonya Schwartz, takes a look at California’s new law and what it might mean for immigrants and their families.
An insurance broker called a CHIR faculty member with a shady sales pitch for a short-term health plan. He had no idea who he was dealing with. Sabrina Corlette and JoAnn Volk explore why insurance companies are using short-term policies to cherry pick healthy people away from the Affordable Care Act marketplaces – and why a new Obama Administration rule may help close the loop hole.
What does coverage look like for children on the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces? A new report from Georgetown experts Kelly Whitener, JoAnn Volk, Sean Miskell and Joan Alker examines at the adequacy of coverage, affordability of coverage, and access to providers. This blog post provides some of their topline findings.
Two-and-one-half years in, how do we assess the success and stability of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces? Much ink has been spilled over the high-profile exit of UnitedHealthcare, but to gain a broader perspective, CHIR experts examined the first quarter earnings calls and regulatory filings for some of the largest, publicly traded insurers that participate in the marketplaces. Their latest article for the Commonwealth Fund shares what they learned.
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.
