XBluesky

Affordability

  • Loss of Cost-Sharing Reductions in ACA Marketplace: Impact on Consumers and Insurer Participation

    Cathy Hope

    While there has been considerable discussion of the new Congress’s plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is another, potentially more immediate, threat to millions of Americans that could materialize without legislative action. Under the ACA, insurers must reduce the cost-sharing obligations of low-income enrollees, such as their copayments and deductibles.…

  • Medicaid Coverage Improves Financial Security

    Karina Wagnerman

    Health insurance serves many purposes, but perhaps the most important function is to protect families from financial devastation. The CDC released a new report examining the percent of families having problems paying medical bills between 2011 and the first half of 2016. Overall, the percent of individuals under age 65 in families that were having…

  • Kentucky’s Proposed Waiver Could Undermine its Successful Medicaid Expansion

    Adam Searing

    By Sean Miskell and Adam Searing Kentucky has released a new Medicaid waiver request for state public comment today. This proposal would allow the state to make significant changes to its existing Medicaid program, affecting not only those newly eligible beneficiaries currently receiving health care through Kentucky’s existing Medicaid expansion, but also others served by…

  • Embracing an Opportunity to Measure Value in Children’s Health Care

    Guest

    By Suzanne Brundage, originally posted on www.uhfnyc.org Most people in the child health community—and almost assuredly all readers of “Say Ahhh!”—are aware of the ways in which children’s health and their use of health care services differ from those of the adult population. Key differences include the prominence of prevention efforts in children’s health, the relatively…

  • Beyond the Reduction in Uncompensated Care: Medicaid Expansion Is Having a Positive Impact on Safety Net Hospitals and Clinics

    Adam Searing

    More than two years after the onset of expanded Medicaid coverage, significant differences are emerging between states that opted to expand Medicaid and those that did not. This report contains the findings of telephone interviews with eleven leaders of hospital systems and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in seven states. Three of the states where we conducted interviews…

  • Recent Changes to the Free Care Rule Put Federal Funds Back on the Table

    CCFadmin

    The so-called “Free Care Rule” prevented states from receiving federal Medicaid funds to provide any service that is ordinarily provided for free to the community at large, even if Medicaid would cover these services for its beneficiaries. For instance, if a public school nurse were to examine a student, federal funds could not be used…

  • New Study Shows Medicaid Expansion Reduces Household Debt

    Alisa Chester

    Medicaid expansion has led to declines in the rate of uninsurance, improved access to care for enrollees, and financial savings for states. A new study points to an additional benefit to newly eligible Medicaid enrollees: lowering debt. Prior studies indicate that Medicaid reduces medical debt, but a new study examined the impact of Medicaid expansion…

  • CHIR Expert Testifies Before U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee about Innovations in Health Care

    Guest

    By Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms Sabrina Corlette of the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms joined a panel of witnesses before the Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Education & Workforce Committee to discuss “Innovations in Health Care: Exploring Free-Market Solutions for a Healthy Workforce.” Other panelists at…

  • HHS Study Shows Benefits of Shopping and Subsidies, but Costs Still a Concern

    CCFadmin

    By Sean Miskell As insurers selling on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Marketplaces begin to file their 2017 rates with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), concerns over proposed increases will once again emerge. But a report released by the HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) demonstrates that behind the headlines…

  • Post ACA, 3 Communities Respond to a Shifting Health Care Landscape for Newly Insured

    JoAnn Volk

    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has proven successful in meeting one of the law’s primary goals: to extend coverage to more Americans. Nearly 13 million people signed up for marketplace coverage in the 3rd open enrollment period, contributing to a dramatic reduction in the number of uninsured. But what has that coverage meant for helping…

  • President Obama’s Budget Takes State-Level Debates over Surprise Out-of-Network Bills to National Policymakers

    Guest

    by Sandy Ahn, Jack Hoadley and Sabrina Corlette of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms, originally posted on Health Affairs Blog, March 22, 2016 President Obama’s final budget proposal was met with little fanfare, but a lot of political opposition. The President, however, put forth one legislative proposal that deserves attention. It is aimed at helping…

  • FAQ: Health Marketplace Tax Penalties, Exemptions, Reconciliation, and Special Enrollment Periods

    Tricia Brooks

    By  Tricia Brooks, Sandy Ahn, Sabrina Corlette, and JoAnn Volk, this was originally posted March 9, 2015 under the title “Confused about What Happens at Tax Time? FAQs on Penalties, Exemptions, Reconciliation, and SEPs“. As part of our Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded work in providing technical assistance to consumer assisters in five states, we…

  • States Innovation Waivers under the ACA: A Closer Look at the Updated Federal Guidance and State Proposals

    Guest

    By Kevin Lucia, Justin Giovannelli, Sean Miskell and Ashley Williams. Originally posted on the CHIRblog. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) established a framework—including now-familiar elements like insurance marketplaces and premium tax credits—to expand access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage. However, the law also gives states a chance to realize these goals using alternative solutions.…

  • 2016 Federal Poverty Levels Are Out; What Does This Mean for the Marketplace and Medicaid?

    Tricia Brooks

    Last week, the 2016 federal poverty levels (FPL) were published in the federal register. How does this impact consumers applying for coverage through the Marketplace, Medicaid or CHIP? Let’s start with eligibility for Marketplace subsidies. For 2016 calendar year coverage, regardless of when someone applies or enrolls, eligibility is based on the 2015 FPL levels.…

  • Awakening the Force of Two-Generations’ (Children and their Parents) Coverage, Access and Affordability: Historic Gains Worth Celebrating in 2016

    Guest

    By Liane Wong, Dr.P.H. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation While there’s been an incredible amount of buzz around the release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” this December, a less heralded moment in history was made at the end of 2015. But it’s history worth celebrating for our nation’s families and children, and one…

  • Half of the Uninsured are Eligible for ACA Coverage

    Guest

    by Jordan Messner, Graduate Research Intern The Kaiser Family Foundation published a report on October 13 examining the uninsured population in the United States and their options for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The report found that although 32.3 million nonelderly people were uninsured at the beginning of 2015, 49% of these individuals (15.7…

  • More People Have Health Coverage in Every State Thanks to ACA; Yet Some of the Poorest are Being Left Behind

    Guest

    by Suzanne Wikle, Projector Director, Advancing Strategies for Aligning Programs, CLASP When President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law, advocates hailed it as the most important health legislation since the creation of Medicaid and Medicare in 1965 — and one of the most important anti-poverty laws in decades as well. The monumental…

  • Arkansas’s Health Care Reform Forum: Medicaid Expansion and the Private Option

    CCFadmin

    How has the Affordable Care Act and health care reform directly affected consumers and access to health care? How does Medicaid expansion relate to the broader health reform effort? How has Arkansas’s Private Option affected the state’s health care system? What makes a premium assistance model appealing for health care Arkansas and other states? These…

  • A Look at the Latest Controversy Brewing over the ACA: The Annual Limit on Out-of Pocket Costs

    JoAnn Volk

    By JoAnn Volk, Center on Health Insurance Reforms The latest dust up in Washington is a fight between the Obama Administration and employer groups over the Affordable Care Act provision that limits consumers’ annual out-of-pocket costs. Employers are concerned that recent administration guidance “clarifying” the rules to implement this policy will increase their costs, particularly…

  • King v Burwell: An Exercise in Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing

    Guest

    By  Tim Westmoreland, Georgetown University O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Everyone within reach of an electronic device already knows that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA) again today. Tax subsidies can continue to assist low-income people in States that do not establish their own insurance exchanges. The death spiral…