{"id":6081,"date":"2021-05-10T10:02:50","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T14:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chirblog.org\/?p=6081"},"modified":"2021-06-17T11:49:58","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T15:49:58","slug":"reading-april-research-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/reading-april-research-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"April Research Roundup: What We\u2019re Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"
The weather\u2019s getting sunny and warm, and we can\u2019t imagine anything nicer than some excellent health policy research while outside on your deck, patio, or a park bench. This month we reviewed studies on demographic characteristics of the people who fall into the ACA family glitch, trends in contraceptive use among women enrolled in high-deductible health plans after the passage of the ACA, and state policy considerations given the American Rescue Plan\u2019s premium tax credit expansions.<\/span><\/p>\n Cox, C. et al. <\/span>The ACA\u2019s Family Glitch and Affordability of Employer Coverage<\/span><\/a>, KFF. April 7, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n In this report, KFF researchers use 2019 data from the Current Population Survey to identify demographic characteristics of people who fall into the family glitch and discuss how many people may benefit from policies aimed at eliminating the family glitch.<\/span><\/p>\n What it Finds<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Why it Matters<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Millions of people face persisting barriers to coverage due to the ACA\u2019s family glitch. Congress could <\/span>eliminate<\/span><\/a> the glitch through legislation, or the Biden administration could do so through executive action, and a recent executive order opens the door. As the KFF study indicates, allowing spouses and dependents who face high premiums for employer-based coverage to access premium tax credits could significantly improve access to coverage and reduce the numbers of uninsured.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Becker, N. et al. <\/span>ACA Mandate Led to Substantial Increase in Contraceptive Use Among Women Enrolled in High-Deductible Health Plans<\/span><\/a>, Health Affairs. April 2021<\/span><\/p>\n In this report, researchers use data from a national commercial claims database to examine contraceptive use among continuously enrolled reproductive-age women between 2010 and 2017. They compare 9,014 women enrolled in high-deductible health plans with 443,363 women enrolled in non-high-deductible health plans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What it Finds<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Why it Matters<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Before the passage of the ACA, LARCs were subject to cost sharing, which subjected many women enrolled in HDHPs to high out-of-pocket costs. These findings demonstrate that the ACA\u2019s mandate, which required that private health insurance plans cover prescription contraception without cost sharing, had a significant impact for women enrolled in these plans. However, the preventive services coverage mandate in the ACA has recently been <\/span>challenged<\/span><\/a> in federal district court, and in July 2020 the Supreme Court <\/span>ruled<\/span><\/a> that employers could opt out of the mandate for religious reasons without having to ensure other means of contraceptive coverage for their employees. This makes the future of insurance coverage of contraceptives for many women uncertain. Federal judges and policymakers need to understand the extent to which these cases will reverse significant gains in affordability of contraceptive coverage for women.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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