Implementing the Affordable Care Act: State Action on Quality Improvement in State-Based Marketplaces

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.