Insurance Exchanges

As consumers gain familiarity with their health coverage, they are increasingly looking for help selecting plans that align with their financial circumstances and health care needs. In response, policymakers are working to improve the accessibility and transparency of information on key plan features and to develop consumer-friendly tools that make it easier to compare and select health plans. In light of growing interest in how best to support consumer decision-making in the marketplace, this qualitative analysis offers recommendations for improving plan comparison and selection processes. This new report is based on interviews with national consumer assistance experts and navigators in California, Colorado, Florida and Illinois.

The State Health Access Data Assistance Center monitors enrollment in the fifteen state-based marketplaces and posts monthly reports from the states on the SHADAC website. This document provides an overview of the information states are reporting and, where data allow, shows changes between open enrollment period one (OEP1; October 1, 2013 - March 31, 2014) and open enrollment period two (OEP2; November 15, 2014 - February 15, 2015).

As states continue to refine the operations of their health insurance exchanges, regardless of the exchange type (state-based exchange, state partnership exchange, or federally facilitated marketplace), it's helpful to compare and contrast operational resources. This chart contains each state's resources and forms for three distinct and fundamentally important areas of exchange operation: applications, appeals, and taxes. With links directly to the states' forms and guides related to these issue areas, this chart serves as a one-stop resource library for those interested in developing new, or revising old, versions of applications, appeals, and tax resources.

Since 2010, eight states have negotiated with the federal government to implement Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) or “DSRIP-like” programs. These programs are a component of Section 1115 demonstrations that incentivizes system transformation and quality improvements in hospitals and other providers serving high volumes of low-income patients. DSRIPs aim to meet strategic goals, based on the Triple Aim principles of better care, improved health, and lower costs by incentivizing reforms that transition away from episodic treatment of disease toward prevention and management of health and wellness among patient populations. This report provides an in-depth cross-state analysis of current DSRIP and DSRIP-like programs. It describes implementation experiences from the federal, state, and provider perspectives.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of June in King v. Burwell, a case challenging the legality of health insurance subsidies provided to low- and middle-income people in the 34 states where the federal government is operating the insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. This map and table show for each state: the number of people now receiving premium subsidies who would lose them if the Court finds for the challengers; the total amount of federal subsidy dollars; the average premium tax credit that subsidized enrollees have qualified for; and the average increase in premiums that subsidized enrollees would face if the subsidies are disallowed.