Policy Watch Archives

Five Things to Know about the Renewal of Extra Affordable Care Act Subsidies in the Inflation Reduction Act

Aug 11, 2022

Policy Watch

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Senate recently passed a three-year extension (through 2025) of enhanced subsidies for people buying their own health coverage on the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. The enhanced subsidies increase the amount of financial help available to those already eligible and also newly expand subsidies to middle-income people, many of whom were previously priced out of coverage. Here’s what to know about the likely renewal of these subsidies:

As 2022 Legislative Sessions End, Most States Are Adopting New Option to Extend Medicaid Postpartum Coverage

Aug 9, 2022

Policy Watch

This policy watch provides an update on the status of state adoption and implementation of the Medicaid 12-month postpartum coverage extension option as states wrap up their 2022 legislative sessions.

What are the Implications of Long COVID for Employment and Health Coverage?

Aug 1, 2022

Policy Watch

Long COVID has been described as our “next national health disaster” and the “pandemic after the pandemic,” but we know little about how many people are affected, how long it will last for those affected, and how it could change employment and health coverage landscapes. This policy watch reviews what we know and outlines key questions to watch for regarding employment and coverage outcomes. We continue to follow the research on who is most at…

Monkeypox Vaccine Roll-out in the U.S. – Are Jurisdictions Requesting All Their Doses?

Jul 29, 2022

Policy Watch

This analysis examines monkeypox vaccine allocations and jurisdictional requests. It explores jurisdictional request rate (the number of vaccine does requested as a share of the jurisdiction’s allocation from HHS) for JYNNEOS, the preferred vaccine. Overall, while most jurisdictions have requested at least their full supply, some are well below that mark, raising questions about how quickly their at-risk populations can get protected.

After Roe: Options to Address Medicaid Coverage Policy Related to Maternal and Child Health

Jul 15, 2022

Policy Watch

This policy watch examines the intersection of Medicaid coverage policies with state actions to ban abortion.

Could Consumer Assistance be Helpful to People Facing Medical Debt?

Jul 14, 2022

Policy Watch

Most (53%) adults with health care debt say they have received a medical or dental bill they thought contained an error at some point in the past 5 years, and most say a state consumer assistance program would be helpful to them.

Abortion Decision Renews Questions About Employer Access to Health Information

Jul 12, 2022

Policy Watch

This Policy Watch takes a look at employers ability to access abortion information when their health plan covers abortion services. With some states criminalizing entities who assist in abortions, employers and providers face legal jeopardy and existing privacy laws such as HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) may be limited in their privacy protections.

Falling off the Subsidy Cliff: How ACA Premiums Would Change for People Losing Rescue Plan Subsidies

Jun 30, 2022

Policy Watch

This post examines what would happen to ACA marketplace premiums for enrollees with incomes more than four times the federal policy level if the enhanced American Rescue Plan Act subsidies expire, including variations by state .

Reading the Post-Roe Tea Leaves in States Without Abortion Bans or Protections

Jun 23, 2022

Policy Watch

In the 17 states without explicit laws prohibiting or protecting abortions, we present a number of indicators to assess abortion access, including abortion restrictions, the number of clinics and women of reproductive age per clinic, as well as State Supreme Court rulings interpreting the right to abortion in that state.

Community Health Centers Are Taking Actions to Prepare for the Unwinding of the Public Health Emergency

Jun 3, 2022

Policy Watch

Community health centers, a national network of safety-net primary care providers, are poised to be on the front lines of the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement when the public health emergency (PHE) ends. Health centers can be effective in raising awareness about Medicaid renewal requirements and in providing the help needed for enrollees to maintain Medicaid or transition to other coverage.

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