Insurance market reform

Insurance market reform

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Health Policy Tracking Service issue brief
Contributor(s):
Thomson Reuters, issuing body.
Publication:
[Toronto, Ontario] : Thomson Reuters, 19-December-2022
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Federal Government
Health Care Reform -- organization & administration
Health Insurance Exchanges -- organization & administration
Insurance Coverage -- organization & administration
State Government
United States
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the state was suing The Aliera Companies (Aliera) and the Moses family, founders of Sharity Ministries, Inc. (formerly Trinity Healthshare, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that held itself out as a health care sharing ministry (HCSM). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released enrollment data in January for the federal health insurance exchange. Approximately 13.8 million Americans signed up or were automatically re-enrolled in 2022 individual market health insurance coverage through health insurance exchanges. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report showing that the rate of uninsured people in the United States decreased after the implementation of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and outreach efforts. The Biden-Harris Administration announced that 14.5 million people had signed up for health insurance coverage through the ACA Marketplaces during the open enrollment period (OEP) ending on January 15, 2022. Delaware announced a record high increase in enrollment in health insurance plans through the Delaware Health Insurance Marketplace during the latest open enrollment period. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced that a record number of people in the state had health coverage in 2021, 95.4%, an increase from 94% in 2019. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that a record number of people had enrolled in health insurance plans through the state's Affordable Care Act individual health insurance marketplace. Friday Health Plans tripled its enrollment in plans available through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces during the last open enrollment period. In the State of the Union Address, President Biden outlined a plan to increase coverage of mental health care that included requiring more coverage of telehealth services. The Department of Justice, together with Attorneys General in Minnesota and New York, filed a civil lawsuit to stop UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (United) from acquiring Change Healthcare Inc. (Change). People with lower incomes will now be eligible for a new Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for health insurance plans available through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) state and federal Marketplaces. President Biden and Vice President Harris have proposed a fix to the so-called ‘Family Glitch” that prevents some families from accessing affordable health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. According to a recent report from the Urban Institute, the average cost of a health insurance premium for a plan available through the Affordable Care Act exchanges decreased for the third straight year. The Connecticut state auditor performed an audit of the state's health insurance exchange, revealing that 44 data breaches over the last 3.5 years had not been fully reported. The White House released a Fact Sheet outlining the changes to the rules affecting the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. The federal government indicated to Georgia that it had suspended approval of the state's plan to create a state-run marketplace rather than continue to use the Affordable Care Act's federal health insurance exchange. Connecticut's health insurance exchange opened a special enrollment period for low-income families that will remain open throughout 2022. Washington state has submitted a waiver to the federal government requesting permission to allow undocumented immigrants to participate in the state's health insurance marketplace. The American Hospital Association (AHA) praised the Internal Revenue Service for proposing to change the calculation of affordability for employer-sponsored coverage when determining eligibility for the health insurance marketplace. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new proposed rule on the funding methodology for the Basic Health Program (BHP) for 2023. The change would incorporate a new Section 1332 waiver factor relative to Minnesota's state-based reinsurance program. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (collectively, the Departments) recently approved Colorado's application to amend its State Innovation Waiver under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). New York insurers requested significant rate increases for small group plans covering companies with 100 employees or less and for consumers who are not part of a group plan. The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) released proposed rate filings showing that Michigan residents will have over 300 health plans to choose from during the upcoming open enrollment. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that insurers offering plans through the federal health insurance exchange marketplace denied almost one out of every five claims, or 18% of claims, for in-network health care services in 2020. The cost of premiums for health insurance plans available through California's health insurance exchange is set to increase an average of 6% next year, according to officials from Covered California. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Departments of Labor and of the Treasury issued guidance to clarify protections for birth control coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The enacting of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is expected to affect the affordability component of the ACA for the Employer Mandate. President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law which includes a continuation of the enhanced subsidies for health insurance plans purchased through the ACA marketplaces. A recent survey showed that employers are facing challenges with the cost of group health insurance coverage for employees. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the upcoming Open Enrollment Period for Pennie, the state's health insurance marketplace. Bright Health announced that it would no longer offer individual and family plan products through its Bright HealthCare segment, effectively exiting the Affordable Care Act Marketplace. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra issued a statement on the final rule addressing the ‘family glitch” in the Affordable Care Act marketplace plans. Researchers at the Kaiser Family Foundation indicated that Marketplace enrollment is at a record high and enrollment in off- Marketplace plans has been decreasing. The Biden-Harris Administration announced that consumers will be able to preview health care coverage options through the federal health insurance marketplace prior to the start of the open enrollment period. Several changes are expected for health insurance as the 2023 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Open Enrollment period continues. Open Enrollment began November 1 and will last until January 15. Some states with state-based marketplaces will have longer open enrollment periods.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (24 pages)).
NLM Unique ID:
9918645968606676 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918645968606676