Strategic Planning & Timelines

The ACA extends health insurance coverage to people who lack access to an affordable coverage option. Under the ACA, Medicaid coverage is extended to low-income adults in states that have opted to expand eligibility, and tax credits are available for middle-income people who purchase coverage through a health insurance marketplace. Millions of people have enrolled in these new coverage options, but millions of others are still uninsured. Some remain ineligible for coverage, and others may be unaware of the availability of new coverage options or still find coverage unaffordable even with financial assistance. This analysis provides national and state-by-state estimates of eligibility for ACA coverage options among those who remained uninsured.

While millions of Americans have newly gained health insurance coverage under the ACA, there is evidence that coverage alone does not necessarily translate into access to health care. This memo provides background information on health insurance literacy, summarizes the research around current consumer knowledge, and offers recommendations on how marketplaces can increase health insurance literacy. Additionally, the State Health Reform Assistance Network has compiled a library of health insurance literacy materials developed by four marketplaces. These resources are intended to serve as examples of what marketplaces can provide to consumers and to groups working on improving health insurance literacy and boosting enrollment.
 

Attempts to tie health and housing policy are gaining momentum, amid evidence that housing, a social determinant of health, is an important factor in the health status of various populations. More than 610,000 people experience homelessness in the U.S., and over 250,000 individuals within that population have a severe mental illness or a chronic substance use disorder, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This new toolkit provides a detailed look into federal, state and local initiatives, as well as cost implications for health and housing programs.
 

Provider directory inaccuracies have caused problems for consumers and other stakeholders for many years. This issue brief explains the steps policymakers and health plans can take to improve directories and provides examples of legislation and regulation to help eliminate provider directory inaccuracies. Policymakers at the state and federal levels should make this issue a priority both for private insurance and for public programs like Medicaid, as accurate provider directories are critical to ensuring that coverage works for consumers.
 

This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, and employer opinions. The 2015 survey included almost 2,000 interviews with non-federal public and private firms. The 2015 survey also includes information on the use of incentives for employer wellness programs, plan cost-sharing as well as firm offer rates.