Explaining Health Care Reform: Questions About Health Insurance Subsidies October 6, 2023 Issue Brief This brief provides an overview of the financial assistance provided under the ACA for people purchasing coverage on their own through health insurance Marketplaces (also called exchanges).
What to Know about the Medicare Open Enrollment Period and Medicare Coverage Options September 18, 2023 Issue Brief Each year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to make changes to how they receive their Medicare coverage during the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.
Understanding Mergers Between Hospitals and Health Systems in Different Markets August 23, 2023 Issue Brief This brief explains the role and implications of cross-market mergers between hospitals and health systems that operate in different regions and describes the approaches that government antitrust agencies have taken in reviewing these types of transactions.
Understanding the Role of the FTC, DOJ, and States in Challenging Anticompetitive Practices Of Hospitals and Other Health Care Providers August 7, 2023 Issue Brief This brief explains the role of federal and state antitrust agencies in challenging anticompetitive practices among hospitals and other health care providers, including the legal authority of federal and state agencies, the role that they play in enforcing antitrust laws, and proposed options for strengthening their authority.
The New Pandemic Fund: Overview and Key Issues for the U.S. May 30, 2023 Issue Brief This brief offers an overview of the new multilateral global health financing mechanism known as the Pandemic Fund, which is housed at the World Bank. The brief reviews the evolution of the Fund, its current financial status and donors, U.S. engagement, and policy issues going forward.
Standardized Plans in the Health Care Marketplace: Changing Requirements May 8, 2023 Issue Brief This brief examines the evolving requirements for insurers on HealthCare.gov to offer standardized plans that follow set cost sharing rules for covered benefits in addition to other plans they might offer. It also reviews how some state-run marketplaces have used standardized plans to limit cost sharing for insulin, mental health care, and other services.
Half of All Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries Are Now Enrolled in Private Medicare Advantage Plans May 1, 2023 Blog Recently released data show that Medicare Advantage, the private plan alternative to traditional Medicare, now covers half of eligible Medicare beneficiaries. As the role of Medicare Advantage grows, so will interest in understanding how well the program serves the increasingly diverse group of enrollees who receive their Medicare coverage from private insurers.
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Coverage in Medicare Advantage Plans April 28, 2023 Issue Brief This brief describes the scope of mental health and substance use disorder benefits in Medicare Advantage plans, including extra benefits, cost sharing, and prior authorization and referral requirements, based on an analysis of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage plan benefit and enrollment files for 2022.
Medicaid Financing: The Basics April 13, 2023 Issue Brief Medicaid represents $1 out of every $6 spent on health care in the U.S. and is the major source of financing for states to provide health coverage and long-term services and supports for low-income residents. This brief examines key questions about Medicaid financing and how it works.
Who Uses Telecontraception and Why? A Closer Look at Clients of Four Telecontraception Companies April 4, 2023 Issue Brief Based on the findings of a nonprobability sample of 6,000 survey respondents from four telecontraception companies, this brief presents a snapshot of telecontraception users and their reasons for using these platforms.