In February, CHIR used Leap Day to catch up on the latest health policy research. This month we read studies on the uninsurance rate, dynamics between the small-group market and individual Marketplace, and the availability of mental telehealth services.
Congress is considering legislation that would make telehealth coverage an “excepted benefit.” CHIR experts discussed how the bill would impact consumers when it advanced in the House of Representatives in early 2023. In light of recent efforts to add the proposal to the government funding package, CHIRblog is republishing their post.
After more than three years, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is set to expire on May 11, 2023. Once the PHE designation is lifted, a number of federal policies intended to help the U.S. health care system adapt to the pandemic will also expire. CHIR’s Emma Walsh-Alker reviews selected policies tied to the PHE and evaluates how the impending expiration will impact consumers’ access to services.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Education & Workforce Committee is considering several bills affecting the affordability and accessibility of employer-sponsored insurance. CHIR’s Sabrina Corlette was invited to testify on these proposals and the state of private insurance generally.
A leaked draft of an impending Supreme Court decision has previewed the potential for states to prohibit and even criminalize abortion. Access to abortion has long been a story of the haves and have-nots. Medication abortion can improve access to this basic health care service, but the delivery and coverage of medication abortion are subject to numerous restrictions and requirements, creating multi-faceted obstacles for patients seeking care. CHIR’s Rachel Schwab looks at several policy actions that can reduce barriers to medication abortion.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states temporarily lowered barriers to using telemedicine for health care services. Subsequently, a number of states have taken action to make those changes permanent. In their latest report for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR experts examine this emerging body of state law and its potential impact on the use of health care services, costs, and outcomes.
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.
