state insurance regulation

Short-Term Health Plans Sold Through Out-of-State Associations Threaten Consumer Protections

Posted February 5, 2019 by CHIR Faculty

The expansion of short-term policies has raised concerns that they may be deceptively marketed, with some sellers leading consumers to believe they are buying a comprehensive policy when they are not. While twenty-four states have sought to regulate short-term plans, their efforts may be undermined by a loophole that allows the policies to be sold through out-of-state associations – a practice we found to be quite common.

The Marketing of Short-Term Health Plans: Industry Practices Create Consumer Confusion

Posted January 31, 2019 by CHIR Faculty

A 2018 federal rule changing the definition of short-term limited-duration insurance (STLDI) has created a new marketing opportunity for insurance companies and brokers. In a new study, CHIR experts assess short-term plan insurers’ marketing tactics in the wake of the new federal rules and how regulators have prepared for this new market.

New Georgetown Report: Assessing the Effectiveness of State-Based Reinsurance

Posted November 27, 2018 by CHIR Faculty

As state legislatures across the country prepare to convene in 2019, improving access to affordable health coverage will likely be on the agenda. Several newly elected officials have expressed an interest in establishing a state reinsurance program, following in the footsteps of a handful of states who have utilized the Affordable Care Act’s 1332 waivers for this purpose. As reinsurance gains ground as a state-level effort to promote market stability, stakeholders can learn from the experience of states that have already implemented reinsurance programs. In a new report from Georgetown, authors Rachel Schwab, Emily Curran, and Sabrina Corlette evaluate progress in the three states that have operational reinsurance programs: Alaska, Minnesota, and Oregon.

What’s in the Association Health Plan Final Rule? Implications for States

Posted June 25, 2018 by

The Trump administration has released new rules to expand the availability of association health plans that are exempt from many of the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections. In her latest article for State Health & Value Strategies’ Expert Perspectives blog, CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette covers key provisions of the new policy and digs into the implications for states, insurance markets, and the consumers and small businesses that purchase private coverage.

Stakeholders Respond to the Proposed Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance Rule. Part II: Major Medical Insurers

Posted May 31, 2018 by Emily Curran

The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury received over 9,000 comments on their proposed rule, which aims to expand the availability of short-term, limited duration insurance. CHIR reviewed comments submitted by health care stakeholders to better understand industry reactions to the proposal. In part two of this four-part series, CHIR’s Emily Curran analyzes comments from nine major medical insurers and associations.

States Leaning In: Washington

Posted April 30, 2018 by Rachel Schwab

Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, states have embraced the law to varying degrees. While some states have refused to implement the ACA and actively oppose it, other states have leaned in, stepping up to preserve the consumer protections and market rules in the wake of federal actions to weaken the law. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab examines steps that Washington State has taken to ensure that their residents can continue to obtain affordable, high quality coverage, and how other states can do the same.

Reading the Fine Print: Do ACA Replacement Proposals Give States More Flexibility and Authority?

Posted February 27, 2017 by

State leaders have been heartened by statements from the new President and Congressional leaders that ACA replacement plans will give them more autonomy over their health insurance markets. But is that really true? In a post for the Health Affairs blog, CHIR experts Sabrina Corlette and Kevin Lucia examine the fine print of House and Senate replacement plans and find that they broadly preempt state authority.