A new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute looks at how successful state-based marketplaces (SBMs) have been with implementing standardized benefit design. The report examined four SBMs, all of which allow non-standardized plans in addition to standardized ones. The four states were Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Oregon. The study finds […] Read More »
State Benchmark Plans & EHBs
In previous news items, we had reported on state benchmark plans and essential health benefits (EHBs). In April, we wrote about the report CMS did on the three largest small group products by state, and in May, we wrote about the brief that the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) published on EHBs and prescription drugs. More recently, we […] Read More »
Georgetown Center Releases Report on Consumer Assistance Needs
The Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms has released a new issue brief which looks at the consumer assistance experience before, during and after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. It looked at consumer assistance programs in 12 different states plus DC to see what the needs of consumers were. Not surprisingly, the […] Read More »
What State Marketplaces are Doing with Tax Penalty SEPs
Last Friday, CMS announced that there would be a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for anyone who has to pay the “shared financial responsibility payment” also known as the tax penalty. Individuals who have to pay the penalty for not having coverage in 2014 and who do not have coverage for 2015 and attest that they didn’t […] Read More »
What State Marketplaces are Doing with Open Enrollment Extensions
Earlier this week, we reported that CMS was granting a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for anyone who encountered difficulty completing their application prior to the February 15 deadline. This only applies to the 34 states in the federal marketplace. So what about the 17 state-based marketplaces? Here’s a breakdown: California: Consumers have until February 22 to complete (only […] Read More »
Understanding Terminology Used by States in ACA Reporting
As you read reporting from different states on ACA enrollment, it is necessary to understand the specific terminology used as it can vary from state to state. A new report from the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), the State Health Exchange Leadership Network, the State Health Reform Assistance Network and the National Academy for […] Read More »
Urban Institute Releases Report on Physician Network Transparency
One of the biggest considerations by consumers when choosing a health plan is which providers are part of the network. Navigators and enrollment specialists may be asked by those they are assisting whether or not a qualified health plan will cover physicians with whom they are already treating. Finding the answers to which providers are […] Read More »
HHS Releases Enrollment Data
Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the latest enrollment data through March 31 which was the official end of open enrollment. These numbers include enrollment from the federally facilitated marketplace as well as the numbers from the state-based marketplaces. To read the news release from HHS, click here. The specific reports […] Read More »
Healthcare.gov Extension until April 15
What Does It Mean for the State-Based Marketplaces? Before the March 31 enrollment deadline, HHS had announced that consumers who started or attempted to start an enrollment application by the deadline would be given an extension of time to complete it. Last week, we posted an update on the specifics of that extension – that […] Read More »
What to Do When Someone Wants to Change their Policy After Enrollment
And Other New Resources on the NDNRC Now that we are over four months into the open enrollment period, some questions have arisen about what can and should be done for individuals who wish to change policies when they’ve already enrolled. Of interest on this issue is a blog post from the Georgetown University Center on Health […] Read More »
