Tag: affordable care act

Enroll Before Jan. 15 for Feb. 1 Coverage and Other Open Enrollment Reminders

With open enrollment set to close in two week, enroll now before or on January 15 to get coverage by February 1. As the clock ticks towards the end of January and the close of open enrollment, CHIR’s Sandy Ahn provides some reminders and references the Navigator Guide, your resource on eligibility, enrollment, and health insurance coverage.

Proposed Mergers among Major Health Insurers: Context and Perspectives

Health plan consolidation has been in the news lately. The Department of Justice is reviewing proposed mergers between major insurers Aetna/Humana and Anthem/CIGNA, as are a number of state insurance regulators. CHIR’s Emily Curran attended a recent forum airing different perspectives on the mergers, and shares this overview.

What About “Don’t Discriminate Against Sick People” Do You Not Understand?

Although it’s a complicated law, there’s one thing about the ACA that’s not at all complicated: the requirement that insurers stop discriminating against sick people. Yet some insurance companies still appear confused by this rule. Sabrina Corlette looks at recent insurer attempts to discourage sicker, older people from enrolling in their plans – and the efforts of at least one state to combat them.

No QHPs Comparable to CHIP, Says (Delayed) HHS Certification

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has finally released a long-awaited study comparing coverage in CHIP plans to qualified health plans offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Our colleague from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, Elisabeth Wright Burak, takes a look and shares the (not altogether surprising) findings.

Feds Propose Changes – and an Expanded Role – for Marketplace Navigators

A new proposed rule from the Obama Administration contains wide-ranging new requirements for insurance companies and marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act, including changes that expand the role of marketplace navigators. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette shares some highlights.

States Revisit Essential Health Benefit Requirements, but Have Little Data on Consumers’ Experiences

Federal Affordable Care Act rules require the states to revisit the standard scope of benefits for individual and small business health plans – called essential health benefits or EHB – and determine whether revisions are needed. In a new blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts examine how the states approached this task, and what it might mean for consumers.

Wondering What Marketplace Rate Increases Mean for Consumers?

The third open enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplaces begins on Sunday, November 1. The administration has released new data showing average health plan rate changes, with an average increase nationwide of 7.5 percent compared to 2015. Our colleague Tricia Brooks breaks down what these rate changes mean for consumers.

Who’s got the Best Crystal Ball? Estimates for 2016 ACA Enrollment

Experts and prognosticators have given widely different estimates for total enrollment through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces for 2016. Sabrina Corlette offers her take on those projections and what they mean for assessing the law’s impact.

Half of the Uninsured are Eligible for ACA Coverage

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation reports finds that 49 percent of the remaining uninsured in our country are eligible for either Medicaid or marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Graduate researcher Jordan Messner unpacks the data.

Big Data and Baby Steps: Two Very Different Approaches to Data Collection

Most Americans see the need for more data about health insurance and how it’s working for consumers, and the insurance industry itself seems to recognize the importance of collecting and analyzing data. But it’s not clear that our government regulators do. JoAnn Volk looks at the mismatch between what insurers are undertaking and what federal rules will require for data collection.

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.