The Federal Courts’ Role in Implementing the Affordable Care Act September 12, 2014 Issue Brief This issue brief examines the federal courts’ role to date in interpreting and affecting implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with a focus on the provisions that seek to expand access to affordable coverage.
An Overview of Medicaid Incentives for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (MIPCD) Grants September 16, 2014 Issue Brief This brief provides an overview of the Medicaid Incentives for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (MIPCD) grants and highlights key findings from the interim evaluation of the program. The brief also places these grants in context of pre-Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid beneficiary incentive programs and proposed programs of states that are incorporating healthy behavior incentives into Medicaid expansion waivers.
Connecting Consumers to Coverage: Lessons Learned from Assisters for Successful Outreach and Enrollment September 19, 2014 Issue Brief This brief highlights the experiences of Navigators and other Marketplace consumer assistance programs under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in conducting outreach and providing enrollment assistance during the ACA’s first open enrollment period. It provides insight into the outreach and enrollment strategies the assisters developed and identifies the keys to successfully overcoming the challenges of the first year. These insights are based on findings from focus groups with assisters in four cities: Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Cleveland, Ohio.
Low-Wage Workers Feel the Pinch on Health Insurance September 18, 2014 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman explores how low-wage firms and their workers are faring in the employer-based health insurance market and how the Affordable Care Act may influence future trends.
Taking Stock and Taking Steps: A Report from the Field after the First Year of Marketplace Consumer Assistance under the ACA October 1, 2014 Report This report summarizes experiences of Marketplace assistance programs as they helped consumers enroll in coverage during the first Open Enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act. Insights about what worked and where improvements could help are drawn from discussions of assisters and other experts who participated in a Consumer Assistance Roundtable, jointly sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in June, 2014.
Understanding How States Access the ACA Enhanced Medicaid Match Rates September 29, 2014 Issue Brief This brief reviews the rules around the enhanced federal medical assistance percentages (FMAP) provided in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the process for states to claim the enhanced matching funds and a discussion about what information the new data will provide looking forward.
Why Public Interest Is Cooling in Obamacare as a Political Story September 30, 2014 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman reviews indicators pointing to the Affordable Care Act cooling as a front-page issue, while hot debate continues about it among partisans and experts.
Medicaid Expansion in Pennsylvania: Transition from Waiver to Traditional Coverage August 3, 2015 Fact Sheet This fact sheet describes Pennsylvania’s approved 1115 waiver demonstration, Healthy PA, which will implement the ACA’s Medicaid expansion.
Implementing the ACA: Medicaid Spending & Enrollment Growth for FY 2014 and FY 2015 October 14, 2014 Issue Brief This report provides an overview of Medicaid financing and Medicaid spending and enrollment growth with a focus on state fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (FY 2014 and FY 2015.) Findings are based on interviews and data provided by state Medicaid directors as part of the 14th annual survey of Medicaid directors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia conducted by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) survey with Health Management Associates (HMA). Findings examine changes in overall enrollment and spending growth and also look at expansion versus non-expansion states.
Challenges for the Next Obamacare Open Enrollment October 9, 2014 Perspective In this column for The Wall Street Journal’s Think Tank, Drew Altman pinpoints the Affordable Care Act’s five biggest challenges heading into the second open enrollment period.