New Analysis Finds US Individual Insurance Market Grew 46 Percent in First Full Year of Affordable Care Act April 29, 2015 News Release A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that the nation’s individual insurance market grew 46 percent to 15.5 million people in the first year plans could be purchased through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, which offer premium assistance to low- and moderate-income people. Four states — California, Florida,…
The Ryan White Program and Insurance Purchasing in the ACA Era: An Early Look at Five States April 14, 2015 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the role that the Ryan White Program has played in helping HIV positive clients purchase insurance coverage from both a historical and an Affordable Care Act (ACA) era perspective. The ACA era analysis focuses on activities in five states during the first open enrollment period and looks specifically at insurance purchasing through the health insurance marketplaces. The states analyzed are California, Florida, Georgia, New York, and Texas.
Comparison of Consumer Protections in Three Health Insurance Markets: Medicare Advantage, Qualified Health Plans and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations March 19, 2015 Report This report examines similarities and differences in federal consumer protection standards for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, Qualified Health Plans (QHPs), and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). It focuses on rules established at the federal level, though some states have chosen to go above the federal minimums and impose additional requirements for QHPs and Medicaid MCOs.
At Five Year Anniversary of the ACA, Gap Between Favorable and Unfavorable Views Among The Public Narrows to Smallest Spread in More Than Two Years March 19, 2015 News Release Most Expect Negative Consequences if Supreme Court Prohibits Subsidies in States Without Their Own Insurance Exchanges; Two Thirds of the Public and Those in Affected States Want Congress or Their State to Close Any Gaps As April 15 Tax Deadline Nears, Nearly Half Unaware Insurance Reporting Requirement Starts This Year…
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: March 2015 March 19, 2015 Poll Finding As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marks its fifth anniversary, this month’s poll finds the gap between favorable and unfavorable opinions of the law has narrowed to the closest margin in over two years. Although the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the King v. Burwell case in early March, the majority of the public continues to say they have heard only a little or nothing at all about the case. The survey also includes a look at Americans’ experiences reporting their insurance status on their taxes for the first time, and finds that nearly half are unaware that the requirement to report health insurance status on their taxes takes effect this year.
JAMA Forum: Of SCOTUS and Chicken March 11, 2015 Perspective Larry Levitt’s March 2015 post explores what could happen if the U.S. Supreme Court rules for the plaintiffs in the King v. Burwell case, the lawsuit that challenges the federal government’s authority to provide financial assistance to people who buy insurance in federally-operated marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act.
Health-Care Deductibles Climbing Out of Reach March 11, 2015 News Release In his latest column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores the trend of higher deductibles in health plans and discusses a new analysis showing that many people with insurance don’t have sufficient financial resources to pay a mid- or high-range deductible. All previous columns by Drew…
Health-Care Deductibles Climbing Out of Reach March 11, 2015 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores the trend of higher deductibles in health plans and discusses a new analysis showing that many people with private insurance don’t have sufficient financial resources to pay a mid- or high-range deductible.
Consumer Assets and Patient Cost Sharing March 11, 2015 Issue Brief Higher cost sharing in private insurance has been credited with helping to slow the growth of health care costs in recent years. For families with low incomes or moderate incomes, however, high deductibles, out-of-pocket limits and other cost sharing can be a potential barrier to care and may lead these families to significant financial difficulties. This issue brief uses information from the Federal Reserve Board’s 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances to look at how household resources match up against potential cost-sharing requirements for plans offered by employers or available in the individual market, including in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
ACA 101: What You Need To Know March 6, 2015 Event On Friday, March 6, 2014, the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Alliance for Health Reform hosted an ACA 101 briefing on the Affordable Care Act. The briefing took place just as the second marketplace enrollment period ended, and the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case challenging the ACA’s subsidies (King v Burwell).