Tag: ACA
National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) Conference Brings Policy Makers from Across the Country Together
Members of the Health Policy News (HPN) team attended the NCSL Legislative Summit in Nashville from August 5-8, 2019, learning and sharing our work with legislators and staff from across the country. The trending topics this year that related to PCG’s work were: the impact of recent court cases at both the state and federal ...
Health Policy News – Summer 2019
Introduction As in past years, Health Policy News is marking the summer season with the publication of one special edition. For summer 2019, we have prepared a roundup of pending federal legislation—in particular, efforts to protect consumers from rising health care costs (including surprise medical bills), to promote Medicare for All, and to preserve Affordable ...
The House Passes Legislation Aimed at Preserving the Affordable Care Act
Notable among the bills passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in recent months are two bills aimed at shoring up the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Below, we explore the content of both bills—though it is worth noting that neither bill has been, nor is expected to be, taken up by the Senate. H.R. 987 ...
Health Policy News – April 2019
Introduction In this month’s edition of Health Policy News, we delve into two of last month’s breaking Federal litigation updates: the decisions issued in cases regarding the Association Health Plan Final Rule and the use and operationalization of Medicaid work requirements. As both decisions reverse course on recent health policy developments, we analyze their likely ...
Court Ruling Invalidates Major Provisions of the New Association Health Plan Regulations
On March 28, 2019, Judge John D. Bates of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling invalidating major provisions of last summer’s final rule on Association Health Plans (AHPs). The regulations—which were released by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on June 19, 2018—established additional and more flexible criteria under ...
Health Policy News – March 2019
Introduction With the first quarter of the new year coming to a close, we are taking this opportunity to do a national review of major state health policy activity in 2019. Nineteen new governors were sworn into office in January, and many of them assumed office with health care at the top of their agendas. ...
Newly-Elected Governors Set Their Sights on Healthcare Reforms
The new year brought changes to state leadership across the nation, with 19 governors newly entering the corner office—seven of whom took over from an administration on the other end of the political spectrum. This refresh has brought a surge of new ideas and energy in the realm of state health policy. Below, we highlight …
Health Policy News December Edition
Introduction As in years past, the primary focus of the December edition is highlighting some of the important topics we wrote about in 2018, while also foreshadowing policy trends that we believe will be of particular importance to states in 2019. Before many of you take a break to spend time with family and friends, ...
A Look at Two States’ Responses to the Association Health Plan Final Rule
Implementation of the new Federal Association Health Plan (AHP) Rule—and new options for associations seeking to offer health insurance coverage—is well underway. The new rule became effective for all fully-insured AHPs seeking to operate under the new rule in September, and will go into effect for existing self-insured AHPs seeking to operate under the new ...
Two Insurance Markets, Similar Stories to Tell
Massachusetts and New Hampshire held public meetings this past fall aimed at providing insights into the factors affecting health care costs in their respective states. The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) held its sixth annual Cost Trend Hearing on October 16th and 17th. The New Hampshire Health Insurance Department (NHID) held its annual hearing at ...