Medigap Enrollment and Consumer Protections Vary Across States July 11, 2018 Issue Brief A quarter of people in traditional Medicare had private, supplemental health insurance in 2015—also known as Medigap—to help cover their Medicare deductibles and cost-sharing requirements, as well as protect themselves against catastrophic expenses for Medicare-covered services. This issue brief examines implications for older adults with pre-existing medical conditions who may be unable to purchase a Medigap policy or change their supplemental coverage after their initial open enrollment period.
Poll: Two-thirds of Voters Say a Candidate’s Position on Pre-existing Conditions is Important to their Vote, More than Say the Same about Drug Costs, ACA Repeal or Medicare-for-All June 27, 2018 News Release About two-thirds (65%) of voters say a candidate’s support for continued protections for people with pre-existing health conditions is either the “single most important factor” or “very important” to their vote in the upcoming midterms elections, finds the latest Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll. That’s a larger share than says the…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – June 2018: Campaigns, Pre-Existing Conditions, and Prescription Drug Ads June 27, 2018 Poll Finding The June 2018 KFF Tracking Poll examines the top issues voters want to hear candidates talk about during their 2018 congressional campaigns, including the importance of specific health care positions such as continuing protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The Kaiser poll also examines the public’s views and experiences with prescription drug advertisements and pricing.
JAMA Forum: The Looming Legal and Political Fights Over Pre-Existing Condition Protections June 25, 2018 Perspective In this June 2018 post for The JAMA Forum, Larry Levitt examines the potential impact of the Trump Administration’s legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Short-Term Limited Duration Plans and HIV June 21, 2018 Issue Brief Given the Trump Administration’s promotion of short-term limited-duration (STLD) health insurance policies, this brief examines what they mean for people with HIV. The analysis assesses whether people with HIV could enroll in STLD plans by applying to 38 plans across five states and getting in each case. It also assesses whether such plans could meet basic HIV care and treatment needs for someone diagnosed once enrolled. This finding takes on new importance in light of the Administration’s decision not to defend the ACA and to argue for eliminating pre-existing condition protections.
Federal law market rules for private health insurance sold to individuals and groups June 14, 2018 Slide
Trump gives Democrats a big health care opening for the midterms June 11, 2018 Perspective In an Axios column, Drew Altman analyzes the narrowing gap between growth in health spending and GDP and discusses why it matters. The big question, he says, is will the narrowing have staying power?
Analysis: Individual Market Insurers Experienced Their Best Financial Year under the ACA in 2017, Though Subsequent Political and Policy Changes Complicate the Outlook for Future Years May 17, 2018 News Release Insurers in 2017 had their best financial year selling individual market health insurance since the Affordable Care Act began requiring guaranteed access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions in 2014, though recent political and policy changes create new challenges for insurers trying to succeed in this market, new Kaiser…
Individual Insurance Market Performance in 2017 May 17, 2018 Issue Brief This brief examines recently-released annual financial data from 2017 and finds insurers selling individual market plans had their best financially since 2014, when new ACA insurance market rules took effect that guaranteed access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. At the same time, recent political and policy changes, including the repeal of the individual mandate penalty as part of tax reform legislation and proposed regulations to expand loosely-regulated short-term insurance plans, cloud plans’ outlook going forward.
Yes, the Trump administration promotes consumer choice — for healthy people May 1, 2018 Perspective In this Washington Post op-ed column, Karen Pollitz examines how the Trump Administration’s efforts to promote coverage through short-term health insurance policies, rather than Affordable Care Act coverage, creates trade offs for consumers.