This op-ed for Morning Consult is part of an ongoing collaboration with George Kalogeropoulos, CEO of HealthSherpa, on strategic health care topics, especially those pertaining to the individual, ACA-subsidized health insurance market and part-time workforces. Nearly a decade since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the heated vitriol surrounding health care policy issues has only … Continue Reading
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State of ACA Coverage: Opportunities and Challenges for Individual Market Open Enrollment 2019
This article was originally published with co-author George Kalogeropoulos, CEO of HealthSherpa, on LinkedIn. Several weeks ago, we shared our views with The Hill regarding challenges and opportunities facing the individual market in 2019 and beyond. In this edition of HealthSherpa Research, we expand upon those views with additional context and practical solutions for the coming OE … Continue Reading
Understanding CMS’s Final Rules for ACA Marketplaces in 2019
This article was originally published with co-author George Kalogeropoulos, CEO of HealthSherpa, on LinkedIn. “In this final rule, we…focus on enhancing the role of States in these programs and providing States with additional flexibilities, reducing unnecessary regulatory burden on stakeholders, empowering consumers, and improving affordability.” That statement, in a nutshell, is what is reflected throughout … Continue Reading
The Hill: Here’s how to address the inevitable challenges to the individual market
This op-ed for The Hill is part of an ongoing collaboration with George Kalogeropoulos, CEO of HealthSherpa, on strategic health care topics, especially those pertaining to the individual, ACA-subsidized health insurance market and part-time workforces. Another opportunity to stabilize the individual market came and went last month, with the passage of the omnibus spending bill for 2018. President … Continue Reading
Imagining a Post-Employer-Mandate (and Coverage) World
After a year of false starts on “repeal-and-replace,” rarely a day passes now that some action isn’t taken on healthcare reform. After the Individual Mandate zero-out surprisingly made it into tax reform at year-end, we’re already on to considering association health plans and work requirements for Medicaid. Yet, the largest single segment of health insurance coverage in the U.S. — … Continue Reading
The Trump/My Little Pony Connection: Interpreting the President’s Executive Order on the ACA
My 6-year-old daughter is a My Little Pony fanatic, which means I am also a fanatic. Well, a fan. I haven’t gone full-on Brony yet but there’s still time. For the uninitiated, the subtitle of My Little Pony is “friendship is magic” and every episode revolves around the pony friends solving problems through teamwork, critical thinking and perseverance — valuable lessons … Continue Reading
HR Dive: ACA executive order still vague, but could impact employer healthcare plans
The executive order has made for a noisy discussion in healthcare circles, but employers are unlikely to make any changes, given that executive departments still must weight in. As it stands, the expansion of association health plans would supposedly make coverage cheaper for some small businesses, Shandon Fowler, Principal of Four8 Insights, told HR Dive. … Continue Reading
HR Dive: Employers move on as healthcare reform fails—for now
At any rate, it doesn’t seem reasonable to stress out over the past week’s developments, Fowler said. Of course, vigilance should be taken in the event that serious reform is passed, even if that is short of a full-stop replacement. But there are more important matters. “Follow the horse race — it’s exciting,” Fowler said, … Continue Reading
CNBC.com: Senate’s Obamacare replacement bill to boost health savings accounts
“These changes are welcomed by employers,” Shandon Fowler, senior director of employer portfolio strategy at benefits administrator Benefitfocus. “Overall, they give employers more flexibility to drive employees to make the best choices for themselves and their families.” Roughly 60 percent of large employers offer an HSA-compatible health plan to workers and half of the employees enrolled … Continue Reading
HR Dive: Forecasting the ACA compliance storm: Cloudy with a chance of repeal
“The irony of the ACA was to bring a more consumer-centric approach to healthcare,” Fowler said. The industry attempted to help smooth what had been a rocky transition in several ways, including the growth of private insurance exchanges. Though private exchanges didn’t solve core problems outright, Fowler said the technological advances that made them possible … Continue Reading