Tag: health insurance

June Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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State officials, insurers, and consumer advocates and assisters are gearing up for a hectic 2019 enrollment season as federal uncertainty threatens the stability of the individual market. CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe dives into research about how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has affected consumers’ access to insurance coverage and care. She also looks at research on reasons behind this year’s increased premium rates and last year’s surprisingly successful Open Enrollment season. 

State Efforts to Pass Individual Mandate Requirements Aim to Stabilize Markets and Protect Consumers

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A handful of states are moving forward with plans to implement state-level individual health insurance mandates in light of Congress’s recent elimination of the federal mandate’s financial penalty. In their latest post for The Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog, CHIR experts Dania Palanker, Rachel Schwab and Justin Giovannelli analyze new sate individual mandate laws and highlight innovative models that were considered in states.

New Report Documents Barriers for People with Mental Illness, Substance Use Disorders Buying Coverage Before the ACA

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In a report released this week by the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI), Georgetown researchers Dania Palanker, JoAnn Volk and Kevin Lucia document the many ways that individual market plans available before the Affordable Care Act (ACA) fell far short of providing adequate, affordable coverage for people with mental illness and substance use disorders.

When Being Uninsured Cuts Life Short: In Memory of My Dad

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George K. Hoppe was the owner of a small architectural firm in Lavallette, New Jersey. He designed beach homes along the shore, funeral homes, retail buildings, and the Ocean County Boy Scouts building in New Jersey. Being uninsured cut his life short. To honor her dad on Father’s Day, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe tells his story.

Stakeholders Respond to the Proposed Short-term, Limited Duration Insurance Rule. Part IV: Short-Term Insurers and Brokers

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The Departments of Labor, Health & Human Services, and Treasury received over 9,000 comments on their proposed rule to expand the availability of short-term, limited duration insurance. To better understand the public reaction to the proposal, CHIR reviewed comments submitted by health care stakeholders. In the fourth blog in our series, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe summarizes feedback from brokers and short-term insurers.

May Research Round Up: What We’re Reading

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In this month’s research round up, CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe looks into analyses of the success of recent stabilization efforts, the consequences of current federal uncertainty on health insurance coverage, best practices from the federally facilitated marketplace (FFM), third-party payment programs, and why in the world hospital visits cost so much money for the privately insured.

The Urban Institute’s New Proposal to Get Us Closer to Universal Coverage

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In preparation for the day when a progressive vision for health reform may have more supporters in the White House and Congress, a number of leading members of Congress have developed new and innovative proposals. Everyone is trying to answer the same question: How do we get the most people covered in the most affordable way? The Urban Institute might have a good answer. CHIR’s Olivia Hoppe explains.

Coalition Demands Crucial Information About Association Health Plan Rulemaking

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On March 1st, a coalition of stakeholders, including Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR), the DC Health Benefit Exchange, the Acting Attorney General of Hawaii, AFL-CIO, Center on Capital & Social Equity, Families USA, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Partnership for Women & Families and the Small Business Majority released a letter calling on the Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw or substantially delay the proposed regulation regarding Association Health Plans (AHPs).

State Regulators Keep a Watchful Eye on Healthcare Companies’ Federal Tax Cut “Windfalls”

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In December, President Trump signed the Republican tax reform bill into law, which among other things, eliminates the health insurance mandate penalty and reduces the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent. The bill provides for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over the next decade, mostly benefiting high-income earners and corporations, which Republicans hope will stimulate economic growth. Now, a few months into effect health care companies are taking stock of how the tax law benefits their bottom line and how to best invest the savings for future success. CHIR’s Emily Curran looks into how some state regulators are reacting.

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.