Insights Column

Live from Health Action 2014…Saturday 1/25/14

From: Talia Schmidt 2:30pm The ballroom is buzzing as colleagues and friends come together for the closing of Health Action 2014. Business cards are exchanged, phone numbers given out, hugs distri...

Consumers Now Have Options When It Comes to Health Insurance Plans and Carriers

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, consumers have more options for carriers and health insurance plans through their state’s marketplace. According to data from healthcare.gov, 34 states’ marke...

Congressional Conservatives Propose Alternative Legislation to Affordable Care Act

On Monday, three Republican senators released The Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment Act, a proposal that would repeal the Affordable Care Act and the powerful consumer p...

ACA Will Increase Employment Opportunities in the Health Care Workforce for Communities of Color

One aspect of the Affordable Care Act that has flown under the radar is its potential to increase employment in the health care sector for everyone, including people of color. Currently, health care e...

HHS Releases New Requirements for Health Plans in Federally Facilitated Marketplaces for 2015

UPDATE: Families USA has now released template comments on the 2015 Letter to Issuers in the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) (the guidance discussed in this blog) for you to use in drafting ...

Reducing “Job Lock”: How the Affordable Care Act Empowers Working Families

By now, many of you have either read or heard about the recent economic projections released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The reaction from conservatives opposed to the provisions of th...

How to Improve Marketplaces to Provide Consumers with Crucial Health Insurance Information

As we move into the last two months of the open enrollment period, government officials and advocates are thinking about how to better reach consumers and help them select a plan to enroll in. One way...

The Affordable Care Act is a Historic Opportunity to Advance Health Care Justice for African-Americans

As we celebrate Black History Month and remember the contributions of African-Americans throughout our nation's history, it's important to also focus on the work that still lies ahead to achieve racia...

How The Affordable Care Act’s Risk Adjustment, Reinsurance, and Risk Corridor Provisions Protect Consumers

Lately, the media have been covering three provisions—risk adjustment, reinsurance, and risk corridors—that were created by the Affordable Care Act. The new health law’s opponents have been high...

Demographics of People with a Pre-existing Health Condition

Under the Affordable Care Act, no American can be denied coverage, charged a higher monthly premium, or sold a policy that excludes coverage of important health services just because he or she has a p...