Affordability

Affordability

Delaying the Individual Mandate is a Bad Idea

The Urban Institute released a handy explainer this week, detailing why proposals to delay the individual mandate are a bad idea. Proponents of such a delay argue that if the Obama Administration delayed the employer mandate, they should also delay the individual mandate. However, unlike the employer mandate, the individual mandate is like a leg on a three-legged stool. […]

While Premium Growth has Slowed, Annual Employer Survey Shows a Mixed Bag for Lower-Wage Workers

By Martha Heberlein The good news: Premium growth in 2012 was a modest 4% by historical standards, according to the annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey. But there’s much room for progress, especially for lower-income families. Over the last decade, the average premium for family coverage has increased 80%. […]

Response to Sticker Shock: More Expensive Than What?

Whenever I read stories about the sticker shock that may hit some consumers when the Affordable Care Act takes effect, it reminds me that buying insurance can be more mystifying than buying a new car.  There have been so many jalopies being sold in “mint condition” in the wild west of the insurance market for […]

Health Reform at Work – Lower Rates in New York

By Christine Monahan, Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms New Yorkers currently or considering purchasing coverage in the individual market woke up to exciting news today: premiums in 2014 are expected to be cut by more than half.  And that’s for the most generous coverage on the market. New Yorkers will also be able to purchase […]

Figuring Out Premium Tax Credits

By Joe Touschner [For more up-to-date information on figuring out premium tax credits, visit Consumer Reports health tax credit tool or state specific brochures.  Kaiser Family Foundation has also updated its subsidy calculator.] Insurers have been filing small group and non-group rates in several states recently, leading to claims and counter-claims about whether the ACA […]