Insurance Exchanges

Under the ACA, the health insurance marketplaces have a variety of mechanisms through which they can drive improvements in health care quality. This issue brief reviews actions taken by State-based Marketplaces (SBMs) to improve health care quality in three areas: 1) using selective contracting to drive quality and delivery system reforms; 2) informing consumers about plan quality; and 3) collecting data to inform quality improvement. Thirteen SBMs took action to promote quality improvement and delivery system reforms through their marketplaces in 2014. Although technical and operational challenges remain, marketplaces have the potential to drive system-wide changes in health care delivery.
 

As an initial step to understanding how the Health Insurance Marketplace is working in its first year of operation, this report provides an overview of health insurance plan premiums available in the Marketplace and the important role of the advanced premium tax credit (“tax credit”) in helping families afford coverage. The report analyzes data on the change in the premium cost associated with the tax credit for plans selected through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace during the initial open enrollment period. It also examines over 19,000 Marketplace plans for 2014 within the four metal levels (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum) for each of the 501 rating areas across 50 states and the District of Columbia. The analysis shows how differences in plan and market characteristics are associated with differences in premiums across the nation.
 

To guide stakeholders through the overwhelming volume of recent developments and upcoming issues for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Breakaway offers this ACA Dashboard, providing a visual and concise overview of key ACA updates in one place. Breakaway will provide comprehensive updates to the ACA Dashboard each month, covering the latest developments and offering a snapshot of Breakaway's health insurance exchange data and analysis.
 

This survey, conducted by PerryUndem Research/Communication for Enroll America, provides fresh insights into why some individuals enrolled in health coverage during the Affordable Care Act’s first open enrollment period and why some individuals did not. The survey, conducted April 10-28, 2014, among 671 newly enrolled individuals and 853 who remained uninsured, is the first in-depth examination of these populations and explores their attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with enrollment, costs, and health coverage.
 

States have several different options to take part in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces, where people can shop for health insurance. These range from taking full responsibility for operating the marketplaces to letting the federal government run them. To help guide state decisions, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently released the 2015 health insurance marketplace models for states. In their latest blog post, the Alliance for Health Reform's Sarah Dash and Georgetown University's Amy Thomas outline key deadlines and factors that states will consider when making their choices.