Insights Column

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...

ACA Assisters Can Help Consumers Register to Vote

Assisters wear many hats, from conducting outreach and education to enrolling consumers in coverage, and, later, helping consumers use their coverage. Assisters can serve another valuable role: helpin...

10 Tactics for Improving Health Insurance Provider Networks for Communities of Color

Communities of color, even once they have insurance, face barriers that can hinder access to high-quality, affordable health care providers. Of those barriers, one of the most notable is the often lim...

Four Reasons Why Consumers Will Find Affordable Health Insurance in the Marketplaces

The uninsured rate is at an all-time low, as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made it possible for 20 million, and counting, to get covered and stay covered. However, news of steeply rising premi...

Urban Institute Finds 30 Million Could Lose Health Insurance under ACA Repeal

New data from the Urban Institute today show that as many as 30 million people across America will lose their health insurance if Republicans in Congress repeal the Affordable Care Act without simul...

Anxiety and Sleepless Nights: How People Are Coping with Threat of Losing Health Coverage

For over five years, Cate Bonacini has been talking to consumers about their health care, helping to build and now manage Families USA’s story bank. That means spending hours on the phone talking t...