The U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee held an oversight hearing to assess the Administration’s readiness for the October 1st launch of the health insurance marketplaces. The focus of the Committee quickly turned to the Navigator program. Elissa Dines has this report from a contentious hearing.
Affordable Care Act opponents are using intimidation tactics to inhibit navigators from helping consumers understand their new coverage options on the exchanges. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at some recent action in the states – and what the federal government can do to make sure consumers can get the help they need, when they need it.
In yet another attempt in a very long line of efforts to delay or derail the health care law, members of the House Energy & Commerce Committee demanded that organizations awarded federal navigator grants answer multiple detailed questions and produce reams of paper documents about their grants. Our colleague at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Tricia Brooks, takes a look at what’s driving the debate over consumer assistance and the ACA.
You have to give them credit – health insurers are showing just how creative they can be at shirking their obligation to provide new consumer protections under the Affordable Care Act. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at one of their latest tactics.
Last week was a busy week for those focused on robust consumer assistance in the new health insurance marketplaces. The Department of Health and Human Services announced new navigator grants and released training materials for navigators and other consumer assisters. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at the grantees and dives into the new training modules.
This week the New York Times reported on an Administration decision to allow employers and group health plans to delay until 2015 an Affordable Care Act requirement to provide enrollees with a cap on their out-of-pocket costs. David Cusano takes a look at what the Administration’s decision says – and does not say – and what it means for group health plans.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General recently examined the progress of the new Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs), created under the ACA. Their report shows that the CO-OPs are mostly meeting key milestones, but also face some tough challenges. Sabrina Corlette takes a closer look.
Today, CHIR released a new report exploring how private insurers and state regulators are incorporating and enforcing new nondiscrimination standards under the Affordable Care Act. Katie Keith, one of the report’s authors, has highlights from the report and discusses what the findings mean for these new protections.
Health insurance is a complicated product that consumers have difficulty understanding, a common theme throughout Wednesday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing on “The Power of Transparency: Giving Consumers the Information They Need to Make Smart Choices in the Health Insurance Market.” Fortunately, new tools are already available to help consumers shop for and compare coverage, and more will become available as Affordable Care Act implementation continues to roll out.
Last week the Administration released its final rule implementing the ACA's insurance market reforms. Many of these provisions have generated deserved attention for the important protections they'll bring to consumers. Getting less attention, but just as important, are the rule's rate review provisions. Sabrina Corlette takes a look.
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