Insights Column

CMS Finalizes Health Insurance Plan Standards, Enrollment for 2017

There's a lot to like in the new “Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters” rule from the federal government, both about what insurers must offer in the health plans they sell on the federal mar...

3 Things to Know about Affordable Care Act Repayment Caps

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee in Congress will vote on legislation that would eliminate caps on how much money marketplace consumers must repay the federal government if they receive...

How Health Insurance Companies and Policymakers Can Make Care More Affordable

The Affordable Care Act has helped expand access to affordable health insurance to millions of Americans. But consumers’ out-of-pocket costs are sometimes still too high, preventing them from gettin...

How States Are Improving Consumers’ Access to In-Network Health Care Providers

Updated May 5, 2016 In 2016, there has been tremendous progress in improving consumers’ access to in-network providers. At Families USA, we have launched a campaign to enact standards to address ...

California 1332 Waiver Would Move State Closer to Health Insurance for All

Covered California could be the first exchange in the country to sell health insurance to undocumented immigrants and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The state marketplace is...

New CMS Requirements Make It Harder to Qualify for a “Permanent Move” SEP

Last week, CMS announced some changes to special enrollment periods for the health insurance marketplaces. We were disappointed to see that CMS is tightening the rules that allow people who are movi...

How Inaccurate Health Plan Provider Directories Block Access to Health Care

As a freelance writer and director of a small nonprofit that provides expressive arts experiences to refugees in Tucson, Arizona, Marge is already very busy. But last year, Marge spent so much time tr...

How to File a Health Care Discrimination Complaint under Section 1557

In May, the Obama administration released new regulations that prohibit discrimination by health plans, health facilities, and health care programs. The rules implement Section 1557 of the Affordabl...

Health Insurance Gives This Father Peace of Mind

Before the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Don would give himself a pep talk every time he stepped on a ladder. Don isn’t clumsy or afraid of heights—his primary worry was getting injured and racking u...

State 1332 Waiver Update: Vermont and Hawaii

Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act allows states to request a waiver for certain provisions of the law in order to implement a state reform that will provide health coverage that is as affordable...