{"id":7792,"date":"2024-03-18T10:23:16","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T14:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/?p=7792"},"modified":"2024-03-18T10:23:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T14:23:16","slug":"february-research-roundup-what-were-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/february-research-roundup-what-were-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"February Research Roundup: What We\u2019re Reading\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Kennah Watts<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In February, CHIR used Leap Day to catch up on the latest health policy research. This month we read studies on the uninsured rate, dynamics between the small-group market and individual Marketplace, and the availability of mental telehealth services.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, National Uninsured Rate Remains Largely Unchanged at 7.7 Percent in the Third Quarter of 2023<\/a>, ASPE Office of Health Policy, February 2024. ASPE researchers analyzed newly released data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)\u2014one of the largest nationally representative surveys on health\u2014to estimate health insurance coverage for the civilian, noninstitutionalized population in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What it Finds<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why it Matters<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The steady decline in uninsurance since 2020 underscores the successes of several policies to support health insurance coverage, including the continuous Medicaid coverage provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act<\/a>, the subsidy expansion under the American Rescue Plan Act<\/a> and the Inflation Reduction Act<\/a>, and recent Medicaid expansion in several states<\/a>. Despite these gains, coverage disparities remain, particularly between racial and ethnic groups. Further, the unwinding<\/a> of continuous Medicaid coverage and expiration of enhanced subsidies could lead to a spike in uninsurance unless policymakers protect access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Holahan, Erik Wengle, and Michael Simpson, Comparing Pricing and Competition in Small-Group Market and Individual Marketplaces<\/a>, Urban Institute, February 2024. Researchers at the Urban Institute examined insurer participation and premium rates using the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation\u2019s HIX Compare datasets to evaluate trends in and differences between the small-group market and individual Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What it Finds<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why it Matters<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ACA reformed the small-group and individual markets, making coverage more affordable and accessible<\/a>. Despite predictions that the ACA Marketplaces would lead small employers to cease offering coverage, enrollment data shows that even with record Marketplace signups, small-group enrollment has remained relatively stable. Though the two markets adhere to a similar set of rules, this research reveals that the individual Marketplace and small-group market profiles are somewhat distinct. For example, while the individual Marketplace sets up strong cost containment incentives, factors beyond costs influence plan selection in the small-group market\u2014employer decisions may consider price, but provider networks and generous benefit packages can outweigh<\/a> the cost savings of a lower premium. These dynamics have implications for future market reforms, such as cost containment strategies, as well as policy innovations, such as a public option; the authors point out that while a case can be made for a public option in either market, the argument may be stronger in the individual Marketplace, where consumers tend to shop for the lowest-cost premium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonathan Cantor, Megan S. Schuler, Samantha Matthews, Aaron Kofner, Joshua Breslau, and Ryan K. McBain, Availability of Mental Telehealth Services in the US<\/a>, JAMA Health Forum, February 2, 2024. Researchers from the RAND Corporation conducted a cross-sectional secret shopper survey of mental health treatment facilities (\u201cfacilities\u201d) between December 2022 and March 2023. The authors combined the survey results with facility- and county-level data to quantify the availability of mental telehealth services for adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What it Finds<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why it Matters<\/em> Barriers to mental health services continue to plague<\/a> the American health care system. Telehealth offers a potential avenue for expanding access<\/a>, but trends in availability underscore ongoing issues. While telehealth utilization and availability increased substantially<\/a> during the pandemic, there are still disparities for patients seeking care, for example, between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas and across facilities with different patient populations. Policymakers looking to telehealth to facilitate care access should consider research that shows gaps and disparities among patients seeking care, such as availability of services and broadband access<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[56,763,575],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7792"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7792"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7794,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7792\/revisions\/7794"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chirblog.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n