The Changing US Health Insurance Market

An interesting paper by Graves and Nikpay (2017) look at the evoluation of the health insurance market before and after Obamacare.  The authors find We found that the ACA’s unprecedented coverage changes increased transitions to Medicaid and nongroup coverage among the uninsured, while strengthening the existing employer-sponsored insurance system and improving retention of public coverage.…

Obamacare, Narrow Networks, and Quality

There are a number of ways plans in health insurance marketplace can lower their premiums.  One option is to increase cost sharing.  Plans in the bronze and sliver tier have much lower premiums than those in the gold and platinum tier.  Within any tier, plans can restrict patient access to lower cost providers; this also will reduce…

Obamacare in Mississippi

An interesting article from Politico shows that Mississippi was instituting a program—known as One Mississippi—that would allow small businesses employees to come together to purchase insurance at lower rates. It was seen as a conservative politically as it helped those who were working to access healthcare. This is exactly what one of the provisions of…

Is Health Exchange enrollment overstated?

Over 8 million people have signed up for a health plan through the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordabe Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare).  Or have they?  Although policymakers may say that this is the truth, leaders at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), say that these figures may be overstated for two reasons:  Changing enrollment: In…

Physician Visits in Germany

Will the Affordable Care Act’s reduced reimbursement rates for providers serving the publicly insured make the U.S. look like Germany?  Maybe.  Let me explain why. Background on health insurance in Germany A JHE study by Hendrik Schmitz provides some insight regarding the German health insurance system and a reform in 1997. German physicians are remunerated…