Tag: federally facilitated exchange

Helping Consumers Understand their Coverage Options, from Coast to Coast

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A massive consumer outreach and education effort is underway to help consumers understand their new coverage options under the Affordable Care Act. But obstacles remain, particularly in states with federally facilitated marketplaces. In the second of a two-part series of blogs for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR faculty members Sarah Dash, Kevin Lucia, and Justin Giovannelli examined the range of outreach efforts across the states.

New Report on ACA Implications for State Network Adequacy Standards

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The Affordable Care Act promises consumers a more comprehensive set of health insurance benefits, but whether consumers are able to access those benefits depends in part on whether states adhere to or build upon the law’s network adequacy standards. CHIR researchers recently released a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded report evaluating current federal and state efforts to regulate plan networks. Max Farris provides an overview.

Essential Health Benefits Final Rule: No Major Departures

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The Administration released its final regulation on the Affordable Care Act's requirement that plans cover a minimum set of essential health benefits. Sabrina Corlette took a peek and examines the pluses – and minuses – for consumers.

New Report Examines Early Indications of Insurer Participation and Competition in Health Insurance Exchanges

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One of the key goals of the Affordable Care Act is to make health insurance coverage more affordable and consumer-friendly by managing competition among health insurers through the creation of health insurance exchanges. A new report from researchers at the Urban Institute and CHIR released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation explores state actions to encourage or require participation on exchanges, and early indications of the level of competition among health insurers. Kevin Lucia highlights some of the findings from the report.

HHS Launches Outreach to Educate Public about Exchange Coverage; Unveils Name and Website for the Federal Exchange

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With just under nine months to go until the open enrollment season begins on October 1, 2013, polls show that the general public is still largely unaware of the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Sarah Dash takes a look at the new Health Insurance Marketplace website unveiled by HHS to educate the public about health insurance exchanges.

FAQs and RFCs, Oh My!

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Last week HHS issued another round of Frequently Asked Questions, addressing the Basic Health Program, and a Request for Comment on agent/broker data collection. Sabrina Corlette takes a look at both.

The “How To” Guide to the Federally Facilitated Exchange

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Last week CMS released a set of instructions to insurance companies seeking to sell plans in the federally facilitated exchanges. Sabrina Corlette took a look at some of the details and provides some of the plan management highlights.

Will New Laws in States with Federally Run Health Insurance Marketplaces Hinder Outreach?

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Although the federal government will play a primary role in administering the navigator program in the 33 states with a federally facilitated exchange, many state legislatures have enacted or considered legislation that subjects navigators to state requirements. In a post that originally appeared on The Commonwealth Fund Blog, Katie Keith, Kevin Lucia, and Christine Monahan describe the role of navigators and well as the potentially detrimental impact of this recent state legislative activity on effective consumer outreach.

Arming Navigators for the Millions of Enrollees Headed Their Way

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With the fast approach to open enrollment for the new health insurance marketplaces, there is growing interest in navigators and other assisters who will help people learn about their coverage options and get enrolled. JoAnn Volk explains how CHIR will be adding to the private insurance knowledge and support for navigators and assisters with a quick reference guide on private health insurance and the reforms of the 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.