affordable care act

Health Plan Narrow Networks: Highlighting Transparency Deficiencies for Consumers

Posted March 20, 2015 by

A recent conference hosted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on health system transparency allowed a diverse group of stakeholders – state and federal regulators, an insurance industry executive, a provider, and CHIR’s own Sabrina Corlette to discuss how the emergence of narrow provider networks on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces has spotlighted deficiencies in the information available for consumers to make good plan choices. Sabrina Corlette shares some of the issues debated and discussed.

The Affordable Care Act CO-OP Program: Facing Both Barriers and Opportunities for More Competitive Health Insurance Markets

Posted March 16, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

The recent financial troubles of some CO-OP plans created under the Affordable Care Act have sparked questions about the long-term viability of the program. In their latest blog post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts Sabrina Corlette, Kevin Lucia, Justin Giovannelli and Sean Miskell assess the current status of the CO-OP program, challenges to success, and prospects for the future.

Confused about What Happens at Tax Time? FAQs on Penalties, Exemptions, Reconciliation, and SEPs

Posted March 11, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

As part of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded project to help navigators and assisters in five states, faculty at Georgetown’s CHIR and the Center for Children and Families have been getting a lot of tax-related questions lately. Tricia Brooks, Sandy Ahn, Sabrina Corlette and JoAnn Volk share answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.

New to the Affordable Care Act, or Need a Refresher? ACA 101 Briefing Has What You Need to Know

Posted March 9, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

A recent briefing hosted by the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation offered Congressional staff and stakeholders a primer on the Affordable Care Act. CHIR’s own Sabrina Corlette joined the panel of experts to walk people through the key private market provisions of this groundbreaking and controversial law.

Latest in CHIR Video Series: Special Enrollment Opportunities for Affordable Care Act Coverage

Posted March 5, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

More states are establishing new special enrollment opportunities to help people gain coverage through the marketplaces. In our latest video about timely health insurance topics, CHIR experts Sandy Ahn and Justin Giovannelli discuss how state-based and federal marketplaces have used special enrollment periods to boost enrollment,

More Trouble than it’s Worth? The Affordable Care Act’s Redefinition of the Small Group Market

Posted March 3, 2015 by

The Affordable Care Act includes a reform of the health insurance market that has received relatively little attention, but that’s likely to change. The provision requires a change in the definition of small group health plan, and it could have a significant impact on premiums and offers of coverage by employers. Sabrina Corlette takes a look.

Year One for the Shared Responsibility Payment: Taking a Closer Look at the Affordability Exemption

Posted February 23, 2015 by JoAnn Volk

The current tax filing season, for the 2014 tax year, is the first in which consumers will need to indicate whether or not they had coverage in 2014, or face a potential tax penalty for failure to have coverage throughout the year. JoAnn Volk takes a look at the affordability exemption and what consumers need to know.

Critiquing the Performance as the Curtain Closes on OE2

Posted February 20, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

The second open enrollment period (often called OE2) under the Affordable Care Act has come to its formal close. Our colleague at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, provides her review of OE2 – and some tips on how the marketplaces could improve their performance for next year.

Our Heartfelt Thanks to Affordable Care Act Navigators and Assisters – and a New Resource

Posted February 18, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

We’ve wrapped up the Affordable Care Act’s second open enrollment season and sign-ups exceeded expectations, in large part thanks to the hard work of navigators and assisters. As part of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded project, navigators in five states send us their toughest and most complicated cases. To help others facing similar issues, we’ve created a new compilation of our most frequently asked questions during open enrollment. The Georgetown technical assistance team shares it here.

Getting MAGI Right: Current Monthly Income Vs. Projected Annual Income

Posted February 11, 2015 by CHIR Faculty

Under the Affordable Care Act, new rules for counting household size and income for purposes of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility were aligned with the calculation of Marketplace subsidies. Following up on a primer she drafted on the basics of MAGI, our colleague at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, drills down on income eligibility for Medicaid, CHIP, and premium tax credits.