Coverage

Federal Standardized Health Insurance Plans Could Help Improve Access to Care without Raising Premiums

Health insurance companies should offer plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces that cover the cost of basic outpatient care—like primary care, specialty care, and prescription drugs—before ...

How Tobacco Rating Could Price Americans Out of Coverage and What States Can Do to Help

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies can charge tobacco users more, a practice referred to as "tobacco rating." This practice could make health coverage unaffordable for many Americans a...

Families USA files amicus in Columbus et al. v. Trump (“Take Care”) case

Families USA files amicus in Columbus et al. v. Trump (“Take Care”) case A coalition of cities (Columbus, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Philadelphia) and two individuals filed a lawsuit�...

Language Access Checklist for Marketplace Implementation

One in four American consumers who will apply for coverage through the new health insurance marketplaces will speak a language other than English at home. This brief explains why states must provide l...

Improve the Display of Plan Information on Marketplace Websites to Help Enrollment

Exchange directors, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and insurers have an enormous opportunity to help consumers choose the plan that is right for them and make the enrollment process m...

Medicaid Expansion Boosts State Economies

In 2013, we reached out to many states that were actively engaged in the Medicaid expansion debate. These states faced an important decision: whether or not to accept federal dollars to provide health...

Implementing Consumer-Friendly Health Insurance Marketplaces

The Affordable Care Act requires each state to have a health insurance marketplace (also known as an "exchange"), and it sets minimum standards for health plans sold in the marketplaces. But states ...

Medicaid Expansion and Rural Hospital Closures

Update: Who benefits from Medicaid expansion? New infographic A state's decision to forgo Medicaid expansion affects the staying power of hospitals in rural areas. The map below compares recent ...

Filling in Gaps in Consumer Assistance: How Exchanges Can Use Assisters

Consumers will need help enrolling in the new health coverage provided by the Affordable Care Act. Navigators and in-person assisters will play a vital role helping consumers learn about and sign up f...

A Tale of Two States: Decisions about Extending Medicaid Can Drastically Affect Residents’ Lives

When states don’t extend Medicaid, Americans are hit the hardest. Our brief compares two neighboring states, Missouri and Iowa. Iowa has extended Medicaid coverage, but Missouri has not. We he...