The Ninety-Day Grace Period

To help enrollees new to the system keep their insurance, the ACA provides a ninety-day grace period before an insurer can discontinue someone's coverage for failure to pay a monthly premium. This applies only to those who have received an advance premium tax credit to purchase health insurance through the Marketplaces and have previously paid at least one month's full premium in that benefit year. This Health Policy Brief focuses on CMS's implementation of the ACA grace period and concerns from hospitals and physicians about potential financial liability now that millions of people have signed up for subsidized health insurance on the Marketplace exchanges.