affordable care act

It’s enough to make you loopy: inside the Kafka-esque world of Medicaid “loopers”

Posted April 27, 2014 by

Remember the Medicaid loopers? These are people who applied for coverage through the health insurance Marketplace, to be told they were initially assessed as Medicaid eligible, and to apply for coverage with their state’s Medicaid agency. If the Medicaid agency rejected their application, they were then bounced back to the Marketplace. In this blog post, Sabrina Corlette takes a look at one family’s efforts to get through a maze of bureaucracy to obtain coverage for their children.

Changes in Census Survey Data Generate Misguided Criticism – Larger Census Survey will Remain Unchanged

Posted April 25, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

The U.S. Census Bureau is implementing changes to the questions they ask on their Current Population Survey (CPS). Many observers have expressed concern that the changes will inhibit accurate assessments of the Affordable Care Act’s impact on coverage levels. But Jon Peacock of the Wisconsin Budget Project, in a guest blog for Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, argues that researchers will still have plenty of good Census data with which to understand the effects of the ACA.

Understanding Special Enrollment Periods, Part 2: Where does COBRA fit in?

Posted April 18, 2014 by JoAnn Volk

How does COBRA fit into coverage options now that people who lose employer-sponsored coverage have other insurance options under the ACA? In this blog post, JoAnn Volk takes up that question and looks at what an offer of COBRA means for special enrollment periods under the ACA.

Recommendations to Strengthen Navigator and Assister Programs

Posted April 8, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

With the close of open enrollment in the new health insurance Marketplaces, it is a good time not only to applaud the work of the navigators and consumer assisters who helped people gain access to new coverage, but also to reflect on lessons learned and assess what can be done to improve consumer assistance for 2015. Our colleague at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, does just that in her latest post.

More New Resources Available to State Regulators

Posted April 6, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

A set of new tools for state insurance regulators, as well as updated versions of some older resources, have recently been posted on the Robert Wood Johnson State Health Reform Assistance Network (State Network) web site. CHIR faculty Sally McCarty, David Cusano, and Max Farris, who serve as technical assistance professionals (TAPS) in the State Network Program, developed the new resources. Sally McCarty describes them here and provides information about an upcoming Webinar to introduce them and demonstrate their use.

Who Gets Extra Time “In Line” and Beyond to Enroll in Health Coverage?

Posted April 4, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

The Obama Administration is allowing extra time to enroll in the health insurance Marketplaces for people who, through no fault of their own, have been unable to complete the process. But the options are different, depending on people’s different circumstances. Our Georgetown University Center for Children and Families colleague Tricia Brooks explains.

Florida’s ObamaCare Alternative: After 6 Years, is this the Best They Can Do?

Posted April 3, 2014 by

Six years in the making, an insurance exchange finally opened last month in Florida, and it’s called “Florida Health Choices.” But it doesn’t offer consumers or small businesses actual health insurance. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at Florida’s latest health reform effort.

Understanding Special Enrollment Periods, Part 1: A Look at Some Who Will be Out of Luck

Posted March 31, 2014 by JoAnn Volk

Navigators have been fielding a range of questions. One that comes up repeatedly is whether an individual who falls into the so-called Medicaid coverage gap and later gets a job with income that would qualify them for premium tax credits can get a special enrollment period. JoAnn Volk takes a look at the options for these individuals.

A Limited Extension for Insurance Enrollment: Precedents from Part D

Posted March 28, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

Recently, the Obama administration extended the enrollment period for people who’ve faced roadblocks in their attempts to sign up for a health plan by March 31. Some observers have compared this action to the flexibility exercised by the Bush administration in the roll out of Medicare Part D. Others say it was quite different. Our Georgetown Health Policy Institute colleague and Medicare expert Jack Hoadley cuts through the rhetoric and points us to the precedents to pay attention to.

New Tools to Help Consumers Compare Health Plans

Posted March 27, 2014 by CHIR Faculty

One of the most difficult elements of enrolling in the new health insurance Marketplaces is plan selection. Consumers are often overwhelmed and confused about their options. In this guest post, former CHIR colleague and ACA expert Christine Monahan discusses a new tool that can help consumers make better plan choices.