discrimination

Value for Whom? HHS Office of Civil Rights Seeks Input on the Impact of Payers’ Value Assessments on Health Equity

Posted November 7, 2022 by CHIR Faculty

As health care costs continue to rise, stakeholders are looking to innovations in provider payments and benefit designs grounded in the known “value” of different health services. But these strategies might fail to reflect the needs, values, and preferences of certain patients. This tension is evident as the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights considers whether value assessment methodologies discriminate against protected groups, such as people with disabilities and older adults.

New Report Provides State Policy Recommendations on How to Protect Consumers, Reduce Disparities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted August 14, 2020 by CHIR Faculty

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented threats to health and safety, and exacerbates existing inequities that continue to jeopardize the wellbeing of millions of Americans. To help state policymakers during a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Consumer Representatives put together recommendations on access to coverage and care, health equity and racial justice, and other state policy issues.

Some States Consider Nondiscrimination Requirements

Posted March 25, 2013 by Katie Keith

In implementing the Affordable Care Act, state regulators may increasingly look for ways to ensure that health insurance does not discriminate against certain groups of individuals, such as people living with HIV, older Americans, and even women. In this spirit, Katie Keith describes how Colorado and the District of Columbia each took recent steps to prohibit insurers from discriminating against enrollees based on gender identity and sexual orientation.