Explaining Health Care Reform: Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) February 29, 2012 Fact Sheet This fact sheet explains the Medical Loss Ratio requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The MLR provision limits the portion of premium dollars health insurers may spend on administration, marketing, and profits. Under health care reform, health insurers must publicly report the portion of premium dollars spent on health care and quality improvement and other activities in each state they operate. Insurers failing to meet the applicable standard must pay rebates to consumers and businesses.
Medicaid Expansion through Premium Assistance: Key Issues for Beneficiaries in Arkansas’ Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver Proposal July 19, 2013 Issue Brief This issue brief provides background about Medicaid premium assistance in the individual health insurance market, summarizes major components of Arkansas’ Section 1115 demonstration waiver application to implement the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion through premium assistance, and considers key issues affecting beneficiaries.
Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs July 15, 2014 Report This survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation of Navigators and other Marketplace consumer assistance programs under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) offers a nationwide analysis of the number and distribution of assisters and people they helped. The report examines the experience of programs in conducting outreach and enrollment assistance during the first open enrollment period. It also reviews the nature of help consumers needed applying for Medicaid or premium tax credits and understanding health insurance choices, and discusses key factors that impacted the effectiveness of Marketplace Assister Programs.
Workplace Wellness Programs Characteristics and Requirements May 19, 2016 Issue Brief This issue brief summarizes what’s known about workplace wellness programs offered by employers today and the use of financial incentives to encourage workers to participate. Findings are drawn from the KFF/HRET Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey. In addition, the brief reviews proposed changes by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in federal standards governing financial incentives by workplace wellness programs and how these changes might balance the use of incentives against other discrimination and privacy protections.
New Survey Examines Assistance Provided to Consumers During Second Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment August 6, 2015 News Release A new Kaiser Family Foundation survey of insurance brokers and assistance programs examines the help they provided to consumers during the 2015 open enrollment period for Affordable Care Act coverage. The 2015 Survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs and Brokers provides estimates of the number of people helped and…
Medical Liability Reforms: Comparison of the Candidates’ Proposals September 29, 2004 Fact Sheet Medical Liability Reforms: Comparison of Candidate’s ProposalsBush-Cheney1Kerry-Edwards2Supports a $250,000 cap on non-economic damages and a reasonable cap on punitive damages.Supports limiting a party’s share of total damages to their proportionate share of blame for the injury inflicted.Supports action to allow providers to review best practices without fear of litigation.Opposes capping…
Update on Individual Health Insurance July 30, 2004 Report This report provides information about the individual health insurance market using data from the largest vendor of this type of insurance, eHealthInsurance. The report includes who is buying individual insurance, what they are actually paying for the insurance, and buying patterns. It is the first in an up-coming series of…
Health Care and the 2004 Elections: Medical Liability Reform October 8, 2004 Issue Brief Medical Liability ReformDownload a printable .pdf of Health Care and the 2004 Elections: Medical Liability Reform.IssueBackgroundOptions for Assuring Access to Affordable Liability CoverageAssessing Candidate PositionsIssueSharp increases in medical liability insurance premiums in recent years, and the withdrawal of some insurers from this market have focused the attention of health care…
Retiree Health Benefits in 2003: Employer Survey December 31, 2003 Report This survey, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Hewitt Associates between June and September 2003 provides detailed information on retiree health programs offered by large private-sector employers. The data in this survey reflect the responses of 408 large firms (private-sector employers with 1,000 or more workers) and provides information…
External Review of Health Plan Decisions — Policy Brief December 30, 1998 Issue Brief An 8-page policy brief on the external review of health plan decisions to inform the policy debate in California and nationally. The policy brief covers external review systems in other states and the Medicare program, the current status of external review in California, and issues regarding the design and implementation…