HealthCare.gov enrollment is down, while State-based Marketplace enrollment is up at the end of 2017 open enrollment; Hawaii, Massachusetts and Oregon introduce legislation to codify ACA reforms in state law in case of...more
In a special “Manatt on Health Reform” feature, we track Governors’ and state healthcare officials’ reactions to the Presidential election; HHS plans investigations into rising drug costs; and Colorado voters reject a...more
HealthCare.gov consumers begin previewing 2017 coverage options as HHS projects a 9% enrollment increase over last year and an average 22% benchmark premium increase; Oregon study finds increased primary care spending in...more
Montana receives approval to expand Medicaid beginning 2016; California’s $6.2 billion Medicaid waiver receives pre-approval; and HHS proposes broadening circumstances under which states receive enhanced federal matching...more
HHS announces average premium price increases of 7.5% across HealthCare.gov; Michigan and Illinois launch the country’s first joint cloud-based, real-time Medicaid information management system; and the Marketplace carrier...more
Congress passes a bill to give states greater flexibility in defining “small businesses”; South Dakota seeks to offset Medicaid expansion costs in part with increased use of the fully federally-funded Indian Health Service;...more
Increased plan choice on HealthCare.gov is linked to lower premium growth; Arizona seeks changes to Medicaid expansion; and California and New York release detailed Marketplace and Medicaid enrollment reports....more
Lessons From the Frontlines: Strategies for Supporting Informed Consumer Decision-Making in the Health Insurance Marketplace - Editor's Note: As marketplaces prepare for the third open enrollment period, consumers are...more
In quick succession, governors in Alaska and Utah announce Medicaid expansions this week; Iowa is transitioning its expansion away from the Marketplace to Medicaid managed care, for now; and, HHS extends its exception to...more
Congress Slowly Works on Budget Reconciliation; ACA Reform Proposals Still Up in the Air - The FY 2016 budget resolution, which was agreed to by Congress this past April, included broad reconciliation instructions...more
CMS releases new redetermination regulations and links uncompensated care funds to expanding Medicaid, and New York becomes the second state to launch the Basic Health Program. ...more
This week, leadership changes at CMS continue, Montana’s Governor introduces Medicaid expansion legislation, and the California Marketplace allows new health plan entrants into the individual and SHOP Marketplaces for the...more
In This Issue: - HealthCare.gov Hacking Breach - Implementation of the Affordable Care Act - Other Federal Regulatory Initiatives - Other Congressional and State Initiatives - Other Health...more
Congress begins its summer recess this week, but last week legislators were busy holding hearings on management issues regarding HealthCare.gov, introducing legislation to increase payments to primary care doctors under...more
From the monumental failure of the initial government website for the federal health insurance marketplace (healthcare.gov) to the looming employer mandate, the Affordable Care Act has garnered its fair share of criticism....more
Late last week, President Obama announced that more than 8 million had people signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. According to the White House, 35 percent of those that obtained insurance are under...more
In a high-stake but relatively uneventful series of negotiations, the House and Senate passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through September, averting another government shutdown. Also over the past week,...more
The past year was one of the most eventful in recent memory for healthcare policy. As the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") continued its inexorable, albeit at times wobbly, march towards implementation, the headlines became more...more
The new year kicked off this week with all eyes watching not only Winter Storm Hercules, but also how the new Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage will work. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),...more
Bob Dylan's quote from 1964 -- "The Times They Are A-Changin" -- could equally apply to the healthcare industry in 2013. This was the year that the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") came into full public view with the start of the...more
The Obama administration announced that it met the November 30 deadline for fixing HealthCare.gov’s problems; however, there are some concerns that information submitted by consumers is not properly transmitting to insurers,...more
In This Issue: Implementation of the Affordable Care Act; Other HHS and Federal Regulatory Initiatives; Other Congressional and State Initiatives; and Hearings and Mark-Ups Scheduled. Excerpt from...more
In This Issue: Implementation of the Affordable Care Act; Other HHS and Federal Regulatory Initiatives; Other Congressional and State Initiatives; Other Health Care News; and Hearings and Mark-Ups Scheduled. ...more
In This Issue: - Top News ..Deal to Raise Debt Ceiling, End Shutdown Yields No Major Changes to Health Care Law ..Problems with HealthCare.gov Website Continue; HHS Working to Fix Issues ..Kaiser Study...more
Repair work to Healthcare.gov is underway, and White House advisors are now pledging that it will be functioning smoothly by the end of November. However, the system was met with new problems over the weekend when the...more