Two New Analyses: House COVID-19 Relief Plan Would Temporarily Lower Marketplace Premiums for Millions and More than Offset Short-Term State Costs to Expand Their Medicaid Programs February 18, 2021 News Release The House COVID-19 relief proposal would temporarily lower what millions of Marketplace enrollees and uninsured potential enrollees would pay toward premiums and would provide states that have not expanded their Medicaid programs a financial boost that would more than offset their costs initially, two new KFF analyses find. The analyses…
What to Expect During the COVID Marketplace Enrollment Period February 17, 2021 Blog This post provides details about the ongoing Special Enrollment Period to sign up for health coverage on the ACA exchanges, including who is eligible to enroll, how costly Marketplace insurance is on average, and what other factors will affect enrollment during this period.
Surprise Medical Bills: New Protections for Consumers Take Effect in 2022 February 4, 2021 Fact Sheet This summarizes key provisions of the No Surprises Act, enacted in December 2020 to address the problem of unexpected medical bills, and issues that could arise during implementation ahead of its Jan. 1, 2022 effective date.
Nearly 9 Million Uninsured Americans Could Get Free or Subsidized Health Insurance if the Biden Administration Re-Opens ACA Marketplace Enrollment in Response to COVID-19 January 27, 2021 News Release Four million uninsured people could get an ACA bronze plan with no premium payment and 4.9 million others could get subsidies to offset the cost of such a plan if the Biden Administration were to re-open ACA marketplace enrollment, a KFF analysis finds. Four million uninsured people could get an…
The Language of Health Care Reform January 19, 2021 Perspective Published in the Jan. 19 edition of JAMA, this article from KFF Executive Vice President for Health Policy Larry Levitt lays out the major health policy challenges that will confront President-elect Biden and potential approaches to major reform. While a big reform debate may not be likely this year, one…
Get Ready for a Lot of Biden Executive Orders on Health Care January 7, 2021 Perspective In this column for the JAMA Health Forum, Larry Levitt explores what President-elect Biden might do to advance his health care vision both through legislation and through executive orders and waivers and demonstrations.
Health Insurer Financial Performance Through September 2020 December 16, 2020 Issue Brief In this brief, we analyze third quarter data from 2018 to 2020 to examine how insurance markets performed financially through the end of September. Average margins remained relatively high compared to the same point in recent years, suggesting many insurers remained profitable even as non-COVID-related care returned in the summer and fall.
How Has the Pandemic Affected Health Coverage in the U.S.? December 9, 2020 Blog Findings from administrative data suggest that the decline in enrollment among employer-sponsored insurance was far less than overall declines in employment as of September, and that many who did lose their job-based coverage likely found a safety net in coverage through Medicaid or the ACA marketplaces.
Potential Health Policy Administrative Actions Under President Biden December 8, 2020 Issue Brief This brief outlines the potential health policy actions that President Biden could take using executive authority, based on campaign pledges, and actions that would reverse or modify regulations or guidance issued by the Trump Administration.
Access to Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage for Same-Sex Spouses: 2020 Update November 30, 2020 Issue Brief This data note examines employer-sponsored coverage for same-sex spouses during the first half of 2020, as well as trends over time, and the impact that three Supreme Court cases could have on this coverage.