In preparation for Health Policy Halloween, CHIR read up on the latest health policy research. In October, we read studies on consumer experiences enrolling in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, health care affordability issues among the insured and uninsured, and the impact of Medicaid expansion on coverage in heavily redlined areas.
As another Marketplace Open Enrollment Period begins, millions of Americans will turn to insurance brokers to guide them to affordable and comprehensive health insurance. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Jalisa Clark and Christine Monahan look into the underrepresentation of people of color in the broker profession and the clients they serve, including the historical origins of these racial disparities and how the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces are intervening.
The annual Marketplace Open Enrollment Period is just around the corner. Enrolling in health insurance can be a challenge, especially for the millions of Americans with limited English proficiency (LEP). In a new issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts document how the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces are facilitating access to health insurance information for LEP individuals, identify persistent gaps in language services, and recommend federal policies to improve language access in the Marketplaces.
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) held the first ever CMS Health Equity Conference. CHIR members who attended the inaugural conference provide an overview of the meeting—including a presentation by CHIR’s Christine Monahan—and its implications for current and future health equity initiatives.
Happy Pride Month from CHIR! Each June, Pride is an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and honor the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights—including in health care access. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker examines the systemic barriers to health care coverage that the LGBTQ+ community faces, and highlights a few key coverage and access issues that continue to impact LGBTQ+ individuals with private health insurance.
Winter is finally over, and health policy research is in full bloom. In March, we read about disparities in health insurance coverage for people of color, medical debt, and preventive service usage among private health plan enrollees.
CHIR had a lot to be thankful for this November, including new health policy research. For the latest installment of our monthly research roundup, we reviewed studies on consumer awareness of Medicaid renewals resuming when the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) expires, integrating health equity into value-based payment models, and trends in hospital consolidation across health care markets.
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.
The affordability of diabetes care is a national issue. Even with insurance, diabetic patients can spend thousands of dollars on medication, supplies, and health services. These costs can present a particular burden on Black families. Black and Hispanic patients face disproportionally high hospitalizations and emergency department visits due to diabetes complications, emphasizing that affordable access to diabetes care is an issue of health equity. In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts highlight different approaches states are taking to reduce health care disparities for diabetic patients.
It’s finally summer, and during the latest heat wave, the CHIR team cooled off with new health policy research. In June, we reviewed studies on improving race and ethnicity data collection in health insurance marketplaces, the value of health savings accounts, and variation in medical debt accumulation across the U.S.
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.
