Tag: health insurance marketplace

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.

New Report: States Going Above and Beyond to Create Sustainable Exchanges and Deliver Choice and Value to Consumers

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In a new report for The Commonwealth Fund, Sarah Dash, Kevin Lucia, Katie Keith, and Christine Monahan provide a comprehensive look at the critical design decisions made by 17 states and the District of Columbia that chose to establish a state-based exchange for 2014. Sarah Dash has highlights from the report and discusses what the findings mean for stakeholders.

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.

100 Days to “Launch”: What a Formerly Controversial Health Program Can Teach Us

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On Sunday, June 23, there will be 100 days before the launch of the new insurance exchanges under the ACA. A new report by Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and colleagues at the Health Policy Institute draws lessons from the recent launch of the Medicare prescription drug program to put the challenges facing the ACA roll out into context.

Evolving Dynamics of Health Insurance Exchange Implementation

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Since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, the roles of states and the federal government in establishing health insurance exchanges—marketplaces where people can shop for comprehensive and affordable health plans—have evolved considerably. In a post that originally appeared on The Commonwealth Fund Blog, Sarah Dash, Christine Monahan, and Kevin Lucia describe where exchange establishment decisions currently stand.

Figuring Out Premium Tax Credits

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Amid debate about the cost of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, our colleague at Georgetown’s Center for Children and Families, Joe Touschner, helps us understand how the law’s premium tax credits will make coverage more affordable for millions of consumers. In this blog he shares some recently released resources that help simplify this complex topic.

Navigator and Assister Training is Not a One-Shot Deal

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The state-based and federally facilitated marketplaces have been busy recruiting and selecting navigators, and now attention turns to training and support. In this guest blog from our Center for Children and Families colleague Tricia Brooks, she makes the case for a robust, holistic approach to building, supporting, and sustaining a high-functioning network of assisters that can ensure consumers needs are fully met.

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.