Health Reform and the Art of Federalism June 8, 2011 Perspective The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced significant changes to the premiums charged in the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), aka the “high risk pool” created by the Affordable Care Act. Premiums will now be up to 40% lower depending on the state (in some states…
The Budget Trigger and Health Reform August 4, 2011 Perspective No doubt it will take some time to sort out how elements of the debt deal (formally “The Budget Control Act of 2011”) will all work. Delving into the details of how it affects subsidies in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to make insurance more affordable helps to illustrate how…
Insurance Brokers and the Medical Loss Ratio December 8, 2011 Perspective In a close vote, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recently adopted a resolution urging Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to exempt insurance broker and agent compensation from medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements or otherwise adjust the requirements to ease their effect. HHS last…
What is a Mini-Med Plan? July 5, 2011 Perspective One of the early insurance market changes in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) phases out caps that some insurance plans impose on the annual dollar amount of benefits they will cover. Plans issued or renewed after September 23, 2010 cannot have annual limits of less than $750,000, and the threshold…
A Comparison of the Availability and Cost of Coverage for Workers in Small Firms and Large Firms: Update from the 2015 Employer Health Benefits Survey February 5, 2016 Issue Brief Small and large firms vary substantially on health insurance offer rates and costs. This brief expands on information presented in the 2015 Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits to look exclusively at differences in offer rates, plan costs, and cost sharing between small firms and large firms.
Majorities Across Party Lines Support Investing More Money in Zika Research and Preventing the Virus’ Spread June 30, 2016 News Release Democrats More Favorable to ACA in June, Leading to 44% Unfavorable, 42% Favorable Overall Split Majorities of the public say the United States should invest more money in Zika research and in preventing its spread in this country, the latest Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds. More than seven in 10…
CMS’s Denial of Proposed Changes to Medicaid Expansion in Ohio September 21, 2016 Fact Sheet This fact sheet discusses CMS’s denial of Ohio’s proposed changes to its existing Medicaid expansion . It also provides an overview of the proposed changes as included in the state’s Section 1115 demonstration waiver application.
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll: June 2016 June 30, 2016 Poll Finding The June Kaiser Health Tracking Poll examines attitudes on the Affordable Care Act and provides an in-depth analysis of two of the biggest health policy stories of the month: the Zika virus outbreak and reports about the rising costs of ACA health insurance premiums.
Public Misperceptions About Obamacare Premium Increases July 15, 2016 Perspective In this Wall Street Journal Think Tank column, Drew Altman looks at the debate about increases in Obamacare premiums and public misperceptions about who is and is not affected by them.
