As the COVID-19 crisis escalates, stakeholders across the health care industry are working to keep consumers healthy and provide financial assistance and flexibility to those who have lost their job or health insurance. CHIR’s Emily Curran tells us how health insurers are doing their part to alleviate consumers’ concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed and urgent interest in using telehealth to enable remote access to care across service areas and provider types. CHIR’s JoAnn Volk and Sabrina Corlette summarize federal legislation and guidance as well as actions state departments of insurance can take to encourage greater access to telehealth services in an article for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health & Value Strategies project.
During the current public health and financial crises brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACA’s health insurance marketplaces offer a crucial safety net. States that run their own marketplaces have a significant advantage in helping consumers obtain comprehensive, affordable health insurance. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab looks at some opportunities for state-based marketplaces that don’t exist for states relying on the federal marketplace.
This month, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe reviews studies that examine the capacity for states to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential cost to employers and their employees, and the achievements of the ACA.
Congress has enacted legislation that includes provisions to lower financial barriers to COVID-19 testing for privately insured individuals. However, the new law includes several loopholes that could expose consumers to unexpected medical bills. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette takes a look.
The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has been the cause of confusion and anxiety for individuals and families across the country, especially when it comes to health care. We’ve pulled together some frequently asked questions, and added new COVID-19-specific inquiries, from our Navigator Resource Guide to help guide Navigators, brokers, assisters, and consumers through this complex and trying time.
The past few weeks have tested the U.S. health care system. In a world where we are all at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, access to health care is a universal human need. On the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, CHIR takes some time to consider how battling this pandemic would have been even more difficult if it weren’t for this groundbreaking federal law.
Many people may hesitate to seek coronavirus testing and treatment because they face significant deductibles or other cost-sharing under their insurance policy. In their latest post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts Sabrina Corlette, Kevin Lucia, and Madeline O’Brien take a look at how states are stepping up to require insurance companies to expand their coverage in the face of an unprecedented public health crisis.
The cost of medical care associated with the novel coronavirus can be a barrier for many people who should get tested, raising a public health risk. Given our patchwork quilt system of health insurance coverage and the lack of a timely and comprehensive federal response, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette and Kevin Lucia consider actions states can take to encourage people to get the care they need.
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.
