The 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) is the primary federal law protecting access to behavioral health care for privately insured Americans. In a new issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts interviewed insurance regulators in ten states to identify the tools state regulators are using for MHPAEA oversight and enforcement, as well as the barriers they are facing.
Last month CHIR stayed cool indoors to catch up on the latest in health policy research. In July, we read studies that assessed policies to increase insurance coverage rates and forecasted insurance coverage and health expenditures for the next decade.
Two national health insurers recently discussed their plans to invest in “ICHRAs,” tax advantaged accounts that workers use to purchase individual market health insurance. CHIR’s Hanan Rakine explores what a greater use of ICHRAs could mean for workers, and for the stability of insurance markets.
Easy-enrollment programs offer states an efficient, low-cost mechanism for connecting residents with comprehensive, affordable health care coverage. In a recent post for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts Rachel Swindle, Rachel Schwab, and Justin Giovannelli review state efforts and effective strategies for improving easy enrollment programs and boosting healthcare enrollment.
Over the last several months, CHIR hosted the webinar series “Understanding Hospital Financing.” CHIR’s Kennah Watts reviews this series and answers timely questions relating to hospital financial health, facility fees, and the Maryland All-Payer Model.
The days are heating up and so is the summer research! This month we read about the effects of health risk assessments on Medicare Advantage payments, how the Affordable Care Act transformed the healthcare landscape in this country, and finally, about hospital pricing and the values of transparency.
With more outpatient care being delivered in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) than in previous years, consumers increasingly face high hospital facility fee charges on top of their provider’s bill for routine medical care. CHIR’s Hanan Rakine discusses the 2024 legislative session and how different states have been successful in regulating outpatient facility fees.
In a new post for the Commonwealth Fund’s To The Point blog, CHIR’s Jalisa Clark and Christine H. Monahan describe how Washington and California’s quality programs are focusing on equity and highlight opportunities for other state-based marketplaces to similarly strengthen their own quality programs.
Thanks to daylight savings in March, CHIR had more time to keep up with the latest health policy research. Last month, we read studies about Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans and enrollee characteristics, Georgia’s reinsurance waiver, and Oregon’s hospital price cap.
The annual open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace coverage kicks off November 1 in most states. A number of new and ongoing policy changes will impact the Marketplace in 2024, including special enrollment opportunities tied to the Medicaid “unwinding,” continuing enhanced financial assistance, and administrative flexibilities designed to reduce barriers to enrollment. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker summarizes these and other recent policies that consumers may encounter this year.
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.
