Association Health Plans

Pros, Cons of Small Employers Joining Association Health Plans

August 18, 2021 - Association health plans have been presented as an option for small employers that struggle to afford health insurance. But are association health plans the right solution for these entities? The question tends to arouse much debate in the health insurance industry and the policymaking sphere. Association health plans form when...


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Cigna, Oscar Health Form New Brand for Small Business Plans

by Kelsey Waddill

Cigna and Oscar Health will be partnering to provide a health plan designed for small businesses that struggle to afford healthcare coverage for their employees, the companies announced. "Small...

How Iowa Farmer Bureau Designed Less Costly Association Health Plans

by Kelsey Waddill

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm Bureau Health Plan was designed to help unsubsidized Iowans afford a health plan and represents the controversy surrounding association health...

Anthem Faces Challenges in GA with Contract Dispute, New Partnership

by Kelsey Waddill

Anthem is preparing its members in the event that its contract with Northeast Georgia Health Systems (NGHS) ends this month, while it faces potential challenges over its new partnership with the...

Judges Strike Down Association Health Plans, Medicaid Work Requirements

by Jennifer Bresnick

Several federal judges have decided that a number of signature Trump Administration health insurance policies cannot stand. Judges have nixed key efforts to expand the sale of association health plans...

CMS Seeks Comment on Purchasing Health Insurance Across State Lines

by Jennifer Bresnick

CMS is soliciting public comments on strategies that would allow enrollees to purchase health insurance across state lines in an effort to increase competition and improve affordability for...

State Legislatures Debate Value of Association Health Plans

by Kyle Murphy, PhD

State legislators in Vermont and North Carolina are considering legislation that would impact the viability of association health plans (AHPs) in their states. State bills in Vermont and North...

AHIP Urges “Careful Planning” of Health Reimbursement Arrangements

by Jennifer Bresnick

AHIP is cautioning federal regulators to move slowly and carefully when expanding the availability of health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) as a more prominent means of paying for healthcare...

Payers Partner with Trade Orgs to Roll Out Association Health Plans

by Thomas Beaton

Healthcare payers are beginning to launch partnerships with trade organizations and chambers of commerce to provide association health plans (AHPs) to small businesses and contractors. The roll out of...

12 Attorneys General File Lawsuit Over Association Health Plans

by Thomas Beaton

A dozen state attorneys general are suing the Department of Labor (DOL) over the expansion of association health plan (AHPs).   In the suit, which was filed in the DC District Court of Appeals,...

Vermont Government Plans Regulations for Association Health Plans

by Thomas Beaton

Vermont’s Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) is planning to implement emergency rules and regulations for association health plans (AHPs) following the Department of Labor’s final...

Department of Labor Finalizes Association Health Plan Expansion

by Thomas Beaton

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a final rule that expands consumer availability of association health plans (AHPs) starting on September 1, 2018. The rule comes months after President Trump...

ACA’s Individual Mandate Boosted High-Income Enrollment Totals

by Thomas Beaton

The Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate spurred greater high-income enrollment in health plans and is a key component of increasing enrollment and stability in the nation’s...

Uninsured Rate among Working Adults Rises to 15.5% in 2018

by Thomas Beaton

The uninsured rate of working adults ages 19 to 64 rose by more than 3 percent between 2016 and 2018, according to the Commonwealth Fund’s ACA Tracking Survey. In 2016, 12.2 percent of working...

Short-Term Health Plans Lack Mental Health, Prescription Benefits

by Thomas Beaton

Short-term health plans generally lack mental health and prescription drug benefits and may create financial-based health insurance barriers for unhealthy beneficiary populations, according to a Kaiser...

AHIP Calls for Changes in Proposed Association Health Plan Policy

by Thomas Beaton

AHIP has issued a statement to CMS that calls for changes in the agency’s proposed rule on association health plan (AHP) and short-term plan policy to avoid unintentional disparities in health...

How Payers Can Succeed in Association Health Plan Markets

by Thomas Beaton

Association health plans (AHPs) may completely alter the nation’s health insurance markets with increasing support from federal entities and a handful of state insurance commissions. An...

11.8M Members Bought Health Plans Via Affordable Care Act Exchanges

by Thomas Beaton

Nearly 11.8 million beneficiaries have enrolled or re-enrolled in a health plan through the Affordable Care Act exchanges, reaching close to 2017 enrollment totals (12.2 million) despite federal...