With Open Enrollment now underway, consumers are weighing their options for 2020 and trying to find the right plan that meets their health needs. As consumers make their decision, it is important for them to understand what they are buying and what coverage their plan provides. This week we answer four questions about marketplace plans’ coverage standards.
From price variation in hospital services paid by private insurers to how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has affected part-time workers, researchers have brought us plenty of interesting health policy findings this month. In October, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe breaks down studies that examine coverage trends, health care costs, immigrant health, and insurers’ marketplace participation and financial performance.
Getting injured in the United States can be quite the financial headache, even with health insurance. CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe went on vacation to Berlin, Germany, and got some answers on the German health insurance experience during her trip.
A graph has been making the rounds on the internet comparing cumulative increases in deductibles since 2011 to growth in inflation, worker earnings and health insurance premiums since it was posted as part of a Wall Street Journal blog. But the graph only tells part of the story – the part that occurred after 2011. The story of increasing deductibles in employer based health insurance is a story that is over a decade in the making.
Some are questioning the adequacy of health insurance on the new marketplaces. But such concerns neglect to mention that these new plans will be a far better deal compared to what, up to now, has been available. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at the comprehensiveness of health insurance coverage, pre- and post-ACA.
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.
