Affordable Care Act

How One Medicaid Program May Prevent Coverage Loss Post-COVID

by Kelsey Waddill

The Massachusetts Medicaid program can use a variety of strategies that it might implement in order to reduce coverage loss after the public health emergency lifts, according to a brief from the Blue...

CMS, HHS Finalize 2023 Notice of Benefits, Payment Parameters

by Kelsey Waddill

CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2023 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters Final Rule, which includes standardized plan options, changes to network adequacy...

4 ACA Marketplaces Take Action to Advance Health Equity

by Mark Melchionna

California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and Massachusetts pursued different Affordable Care Act marketplace strategies in order to improve health equity for underserved populations,...

Medicaid Expansion Boosted Coverage for Adults with Legal Involvement

by Victoria Bailey

Medicaid expansion was associated with a significant increase in health insurance coverage for low-income individuals with recent criminal legal involvement, according to a study published in JAMA...

ARPA Tax Credit Expiration Will Increase Uninsured Population by 3M

by Victoria Bailey

The uninsured population may increase by more than 3 million if policymakers do not extend the premium tax credits under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), according to an Urban Institute issue...

State-Based Marketplace Premiums to Increase Without ARPA Expansion

by Victoria Bailey

If federal officials do not extend the enhanced premium subsidies under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), state-based marketplace enrollees will face higher premiums and may lose coverage in 2023,...

Feds Reflect on the Impact of the Affordable Care Act

by Kelsey Waddill

As the Affordable Care Act turns 12 years old, CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) commemorate the law’s impact on the US healthcare system. “On the...

Tobacco Surcharge May Limit Affordable Care Act Enrollment

by Kelsey Waddill

The Affordable Care Act marketplace’s tobacco surcharge might decrease enrollment and dissuade tobacco users from entering the marketplace, according to a Health Affairs article. Health plans on...

92% of Counties Have Affordable Care Act Plans with 3 to 5 Stars

by Kelsey Waddill

Over nine in ten counties boasted a medium- or high-quality health plan as their highest-rated plan on the Affordable Care Act marketplace in 2020, according to a Health Affairs article. Researchers...

What Public Payers Can Do To Stop Public Charge Misinformation

by Kelsey Waddill

With misinformation about the public charge rule still circulating and affecting immigrants’ access to coverage, Medicaid programs, Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, and CHIP programs can...

Behaviorally Informed Letters Boost Affordable Care Act Enrollment

by Victoria Bailey

Low-cost behaviorally informed letters sent to individuals seeking healthcare coverage on HealthCare.gov helped increase Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace enrollment, a study published in JAMA...

How Eliminating Individual Mandate Impacted the Latino Community

by Kelsey Waddill

After Congress zeroed out the Affordable Care ACct's individual mandate, the Latino community experienced a rise in uninsurance that coincided with a deterioration in other important quality of...

Payers React to State of the Union 2022 on ARPA, Drug Costs

by Kelsey Waddill

Major payer organizations are reacting to payer-related aspects of the State of the Union address, including making permanent the American Rescue Plan Act premium subsidies and lowering drug...

How Ending the Public Health Emergency Impacts Medicaid Enrollees

by Kelsey Waddill

With the understanding that the public health emergency will eventually come to an end, experts from Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) are asking what will happen if the US does not have a plan in place...

Uninsurance Rate Among Black Americans Dropped 8% Under ACA

by Kelsey Waddill

The Affordable Care Act may have led to reduced the uninsurance rate among Black Americans since it went into effect, according to a report from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and...

State, Medicaid Coverage For Obesity Treatments Varies Widely

by Kelsey Waddill

State and Medicaid coverage for obesity treatments is not uniform, despite the epidemic-level impact of the condition and the selection of tested treatment options, according to a report from the Urban...

Record-Breaking ACA Open Enrollment Gains 5.8M New Enrollees

by Kelsey Waddill

CMS and HHS have announced that the Affordable Care Act marketplace gained 5.8 million new enrollees in the 2022 open enrollment season, contributing to a record-breaking 14.5 million...

Payer Affordable Care Act Marketplace Participation Grew in 2022

by Kelsey Waddill

An explosion in enrollment on the Affordable Care Act marketplace coincided with higher payer Affordable Care Act marketplace participation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF)...

How The Affordable Care Act Impacted Small Group Coverage Trends

by Kelsey Waddill

From 2013 to 2020, small group coverage has maintained a fairly stable environment, researchers from the Urban Institute found. The researchers used the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance...

HRSA Expands Preventive Care Coverage Under ACA for Women, Children

by Victoria Bailey

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has updated the preventive healthcare guidelines under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to expand low-cost coverage of preventive care services for...