In our most recent issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR researchers studied the progress states have made to date in implementing the 2014 market reforms and found that most states have yet to move forward with changes they need. Katie Keith discusses the actions that states have taken so far and what our findings mean for federal and state regulators as they implement the Affordable Care Act.
The Office of Personnel Management recently issued a final rule on the multi-state plan program in which it attempts to standardize contracting processes and state rules to, in theory, make it easier for insurers to enter new markets while limiting the extent to which multi-state plan issuers can bypass state consumer protections and preserving a level playing field in exchanges. Christine Monahan discusses how OPM has attempted to balance these competing pressures and discusses where multi-state plans may or may not have flexibility.
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.
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.
Whether or not small employers will begin self-funding in greater numbers as the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented continues to be a hot topic. In the midst of significant media attention, Christine Monahan looks at two states that have decided to take action.
Of the many consumer protection tools available to health insurance regulators, one of the most powerful is the ability to review premium rates. Yet, some states have made recent decisions to abdicate this authority to federal regulators. Sally McCarty discusses recently enacted legislation in Florida that suspends the state’s rate review requirements – and what it means for insurers, regulators, and consumers.
More than two months after the deadline for health insurance issuers to submit applications for the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) multi-state plan program, news is finally starting to trickle out about participating insurers and the first batch of states that are expecting to see multi-state plans on their exchanges. Christine Monahan shares the latest developments.
On May 7th, the National Institute for Healthcare Management Foundation hosted a webinar on state marketplace development and the major milestones left to meet before open enrollment begins on October 1st. Allison Johnson listened in and has highlights from the panel of federal officials, industry representatives, and consultants.
While we have certainly seen some busy weeks for Affordable Care Act implementation, we had not expected this week to be so filled with new federal guidance and key events on exchange development and other insurance reform issues. To help you (and us) keep up, Katie Keith has a quick guide on what is happening this week on Affordable Care Act implementation.
This past week marked the first of three national conferences for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) for 2013. In a post that originally appeared on the Community Catalyst Blog, Christine Barber – a consumer representative to the NAIC – highlights what you need to know from the meeting.
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.
