Tag: Brokers

State Health Equity Initiatives Confront Decades of Racism in the Insurance Industry

Posted by

As another Marketplace Open Enrollment Period begins, millions of Americans will turn to insurance brokers to guide them to affordable and comprehensive health insurance. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Jalisa Clark and Christine Monahan look into the underrepresentation of people of color in the broker profession and the clients they serve, including the historical origins of these racial disparities and how the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces are intervening.

Broker Commissions for Mid-Year Enrollment in the Marketplaces: Options for State Marketplaces and Insurance Regulators to Prevent Discrimination

Posted by

Several insurers have eliminated broker commissions for mid-year marketplace enrollment. In a new Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies project, CHIR’s Justin Giovannelli looks at the consequences of cutting broker commissions for special enrollment periods, including risk of coverage losses, market instability, and potential violations of federal nondiscrimination rules.

Stakeholder Perspectives on CMS’s 2023 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters: State Insurance Departments and Marketplaces

Posted by

After the Biden administration issued the proposed 2023 “Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters,” several hundred stakeholders provided feedback on the new set of rules governing the ACA’s marketplaces and health insurance standards. To better understand the impact of the proposed rules, CHIR reviewed a sample of stakeholder comments. For the third blog in our series, Rachel Schwab summarizes comments submitted by state departments of insurance and state-based marketplaces.

The No Surprises Act Proposed Rule on Air Ambulances and Enforcement: Implications for States

Posted by

This month the Biden administration released a second rule implementing the No Surprises Act, the new federal law banning balance bills in certain care settings and circumstances starting in 2022. In an Expert Perspective for the State Health & Value Strategies project, CHIR experts JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette review provisions of the proposed rules of particular import to state-based marketplaces and state insurance regulators.

August Research Roundup: What We’re Reading

Posted by

The month of August went by in a flash, or painstakingly slowly, but either way it produced some great health policy research. CHIR’s Nia Gooding provides our monthly round up of health insurance-related studies and analyses.

U.S. House Investigation Offers New Evidence on the Dangers of Short-Term Plans

Posted by

On June 25, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released the results of a year-long investigation into the practices of the Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance industry. The Committee looked into 14 companies that sell or assist consumers in enrolling in short-term plans, and its findings confirm what we have known for some time – short-term plans are a bad deal for consumers. CHIR’s Emily Curran discusses five highlights from the Committee’s report, including new evidence on the status of the STLDI market.

Stakeholders Respond to the Proposed Short-term, Limited Duration Insurance Rule. Part IV: Short-Term Insurers and Brokers

Posted by

The Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, and Treasury received over 9,000 comments on their proposed rule to expand the availability of short-term, limited duration insurance. To better understand the public reaction to the proposal, CHIR reviewed comments submitted by health care stakeholders. In the fourth blog in our series, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe summarizes feedback from brokers and short-term insurers.

Kaiser Family Foundation Survey on Assister Programs Reflects Signs of Progress – and Opportunities for Improvement

Posted by

Assister programs and brokers play an integral role of navigating consumers through the marketplace enrollment process. Kaiser Family Foundation’s recent survey of these stakeholders indicates these programs will continue to be needed given the knowledge gaps that still exist among consumers and the high proportion of consumers who seek help with renewal. Current legal intern and guest blogger, Emma Chapman (Georgetown JD/MPP, expected 2018), summarizes the main findings of the survey.

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.