The results of a new survey conducted by Community Catalyst outlines what people with substance use disorder value in their treatment. The seven priorities identified in the survey are as follows: Staying alive Improving quality of life Reducing harmful substance use Improving mental health Addressing basic needs Increasing self-confidence Increasing connection to ongoing services Links to […] Read More »

Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that CMS will be supporting the navigator program with unprecedented funding for the upcoming open enrollment period for the 2022 plan year. CMS will be providing $80 million for navigators in the federally facilitated marketplace states to provide consumer assistance to consumers as they enroll for […] Read More »

CMS has issued its Health Insurance Marketplaces 2021 Open Enrollment Report. The report shows that 12 million consumers were enrolled in a marketplace plan during Open Enrollment Year 8 (OE8). This marks the largest number of consumers enrolled in the marketplace since 2017. Additionally, of those who did enroll for a plan during OE8, 88% […] Read More »

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) had many provisions which affected access to health insurance and Medicaid. Many of these changes reflect the amount of financial assistance available to consumers who purchase insurance through the ACA marketplace. New resources in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) have been released by the Center on Budget […] Read More »

CMS has issued a report indicating the enrollment numbers for the COVID Special Enrollment Period (SEP). During the first month and a half of the COVID SEP, over 500,000 people selected a new plan through healthcare.gov. Additionally, nearly 150,000 people were determined to be eligible for Medicaid and/or CHIP. Of course, these numbers only apply […] Read More »

Previously, we reported on the changes to the ACA marketplaces due to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), including the increase in the tax subsidies available to consumers. Today, HHS Secretary Becerra announced that beginning today these increased subsidies would appear on healthcare.gov as consumers go on to the website to get covered. To learn […] Read More »

Yesterday, we hosted a webinar entitled “COVID SEP – How is it different?”. This webinar addressed how the COVID Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is different from usual SEPs. It also explored the specifics of how the COVID SEP works and looked at what people with disabilities need to consider when selecting a health insurance plan. […] Read More »

Today is the 11th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act becoming law and the COVID pandemic has demonstrated how important the ACA’s promise of having reliable health coverage can be. Acknowledging the importance that the opportunity to get covered through the ACA marketplace has been during the pandemic, HHS announced today that the COVID Special […] Read More »

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) was passed by Congress and signed into law last week. Many of the provisions in the ARPA will have a direct effect on the ACA marketplaces. CMS has released a fact sheet which explains many of the provisions in the new law and how it will affect […] Read More »