ENHANCED TAX CREDITS ENDING SOON?
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has been providing financial assistance to Americans to help pay for health insurance by lowering premium costs via an increase in the advance premium tax credits (APTC) used to purchase insurance in marketplaces which are utilized by 14 million Americans. However, premiums are expected to go up by 53% within the next year if the enhanced APTC are not extended. Two new reports address the possible implications of the expiration of the expiration of the ARPA enhanced APTC. You can read these reports from Families USA and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Over the course of the spring, we conducted a series of Facebook live events which focused on getting the most out of your health insurance. We have quote cards which highlight some of the important messages which came up in these conversations. The quote card below comes from our Facebook live interview with Karen which addressed getting the most out of your coverage to access specialists.
If you missed any of these live events, they have all been archived on both our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
As part of our partnership with Community Catalyst, we have a project which highlights opportunities for people with disabilities to get access to health coverage through Medicaid or the ACA marketplace. As part of this project, we have resources like the image below which highlight the benefits of coverage and the importance of finding a doctor you trust after you get insurance. These graphics are available in the Community Catalyst Outreach Hub.
Community Catalyst has developed a toolkit around the family glitch.
We have been reporting on the ongoing public health emergency (PHE) and its effect on Medicaid enrollment. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities as a new report which looks at what states can do to preserve Medicaid coverage at the conclusion of the PHE. Additionally, Families USA has a new case study which looks at what states could do to avoid people losing Medicaid coverage. Last month, HHS extended the PHE through mid-July (read more about it in our news item).
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Did you know that a new crisis number is being dedicated for suicide prevention? As of July 16th, 988 will be the number you can call for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Read more about it in the fact sheet from SAMHSA.
Additionally, if you want to read more about the requirements of the ACA on mental health parity, check out our NDNRC fact sheet.
The Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) has a new blog post which highlights their new issue brief examining what four state-based marketplaces are doing to advance health equity through plans offered on their marketplace.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.