Publications

The following are publications written by Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) researchers. The publications were published by CHIR or another organization, as noted.
For further research publications from CHIR experts, please visit the CHIRblog and The Commonwealth Fund’s To the Point blog.
2023
- Looking Under the Hood: “Enhanced” Health Insurance Rate Review to Improve Affordability, Sabrina Corlette, Vrudhi Raimugia, Arnold Ventures, September 2023
- Uneven Ground: Differences in Language Access Across State-Based Marketplaces, Christine Monahan, Jalisa Clark, Nadia Stovicek, The Commonwealth Fund, September 2023
- State Protections Against Medical Debt: A Look at Policies Across the U.S., Maanasa Kona, Vrudhi Raimugia, The Commonwealth Fund, September 2023
- The Perfect Storm: Misleading Marketing of Limited Benefit Products Continues as Millions Losing Medicaid Search for New Coverage, Rachel Schwab, JoAnn Volk, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, August 2023
- Protecting Patients from Unexpected Outpatient Facility Fees: States on the Precipice of Broader Reform, Christine H. Monahan, Karen Davenport, Rachel Swindle, West Health, July 2023
- Regulating Outpatient Facility Fees: States Are Leading the Way to Protect Consumers, Christine H. Monahan, Karen Davenport, Rachel Swindle, Caroline Picher, West Health, July 2023
- Mixed Results: State Employee Health Plans Face Challenges, Find Opportunites to Constrain Cost Growth, Sabrina Corlette, Karen Davenport, Emma Walsh-Alker, Arnold Ventures, June 2023
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations, Case Study Analysis: Kanawha County, West Virginia, Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Emma Walsh-Alker, Megan Houston, Milbank Memorial Fund, June 2023
- The Basic Health Program: Considerations for States and Lessons from New York and Minnesota, Sabrina Corlette, Jason Levitis, Erik Wengle, Rachel Swindle, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2023
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Case Study Analysis of Detroit, Michigan, Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Emma Walsh-Alker, Yareli Torres Carrillo, Milbank Memorial Fund, April 2023
- No Surprises Act: Perspectives on the Status of Consumer Protections Against Balance Billing, Jack Hoadley, Kevin Lucia, JoAnn Volk, Emma Walsh-Alker, Rachel Swindle, Erik Wengle, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2023
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Case Study Analysis of Columbia County, Arkansas, Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Megan Houston, Emma Walsh-Alker, Milbank Memorial Fund, January 2023
2022
- U.S. Health Insurance Coverage and Financing (new window), Sabrina Corlette and Christine Monahan, New England Journal of Medicine, December 2022
- State-Based Marketplace Outreach Strategies for Boosting Health Plan Enrollment of the Uninsured, Rachel Schwab, Rachel Swindle, Justin Giovannelli, Commonwealth Fund, October 2022
- A Review of State Efforts to Enforce Mental Health Parity: Lessons for Policymakers and Regulators, JoAnn Volk, Rachel Schwab, Maanasa Kona, Emma Walsh-Alker, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October 2022
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Case Study Analysis of Baltimore City, Maryland, Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Megan Houston, Emma Walsh-Alker, Milbank Memorial Fund, August 2022
- Assessing and Supporting State Employee Health Plans’ Cost Containment Initiatives, Sabrina Corlette and Maanasa Kona, June 2022
- Assessing the Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Access to Primary Care for Underserved Populations: A Case Study Analysis of Grant County, New Mexico, Maanasa Kona, Jalisa Clark, Megan Houston, Emma Walsh-Alker, Milbank Memorial Fund, May 2022
- What Four States Are Doing to Advance Health Equity in Marketplace Insurance Plans, Dania Palanker, Nia Denise Gooding, Commonwealth Fund, April 2022
- The End of the Public Health Emergency Will Prompt Massive Transitions in Health Insurance Coverage: How State Insurance Regulators Can Prepare, Sabrina Corlette, State Health & Value Strategies, March 2022
- Assessing Federal and State Network Adequacy Standards for Medicaid and the Marketplace, Sabrina Corlette, Andy Schneider, Maanasa Kona, Allie Corcoran, Rachel Schwab, Megan Houston, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 2022
- Preparing for the Biggest Coverage Event Since the Affordable Care Act, Sabrina Corlette, Linda Blumberg, Megan Houston, Erik Wengle, Urban Institute, March 2022
- The Effectiveness of Policies to Improve Primary Care Access for Underserved Populations: An Assessment of the Literature, Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Nia Gooding, Milbank Memorial Fund, January 2022
2021
- Build Back Better Act: Health Coverage Provisions Explained, Edwin Park, Sabrina Corlette, Anne Dwyer, Maggie Clark, Center for Children and Families and Center on Health Insurance Reforms, November 2021
- Misleading Marketing of Non-ACA Health Plans Continued During COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period, Dania Palanker and JoAnn Volk, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, October 2021
- New Health Care Transparency Requirements: Recommendations for Optimizing Pricing Data to Reduce System Costs, Sabrina Corlette, Megan Houston, Maanasa Kona, Rachel Schwab, Nia Gooding, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, September 14, 2021
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Recent Federal Policies on Small Business Health Insurance, Sabrina Corlette, Erik Wengle, Megan Houston, Tyler Thomas, Urban Institute, August 3, 2021
- State Employee Health Plans and Cost Containment Initiatives, Sabrina Corlette, Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, June 2021
- Unleashing the Giant: Opportunities for State Employee Health Plans to Drive Improvements in Affordability, Sabrina Corlette, Maanasa Kona, Megan Houston, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, June 2021
- Taking the Disputes Out of Dispute Resolution: Lessons from State Balance Billing Laws, Sabrina Corlette, Jack Hoadley, Maanasa Kona, Madeline O’Brien, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 2021
- American Rescue Plan Act: Health Coverage Provisions Explained, Edwin Park, Sabrina Corlette, Center for Children and Families, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, March 2021
- Federal Policy Priorities for Preserving and Improving Access to Coverage: Perspectives from State-Based Marketplaces, Rachel Schwab, Justin Giovannelli, Julia Buschmann, Kevin Lucia, Commonwealth Fund, February 2021
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Care Practices, Sabrina Corlette, Robert Berenson, Erik Wengle, Kevin Lucia, Tyler Thomas, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, February 2021
2020
- The Benefits and Limitations of State-Run Individual Market Reinsurance, Justin Giovannelli, JoAnn Volk, Rachel Schwab, Emily Curran, Commonwealth Fund, November 2020
- Equal Treatment: A Review of Mental Health Parity Enforcement in California (new window), JoAnn Volk, Maanasa Kona, Madeline O’Brien, Christina L. Goe, James Mayhew, The California Health Care Foundation, September 2020
- The COVID-19 Pandemic: Insurer Insights into Challenges, Implications, and Lessons Learned, Kevin Lucia, Linda Blumberg, Emily Curran, John Holahan, Erik Wengle, Olivia Hoppe, Sabrina Corlette, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June 2020
- Effects of Medicaid Health Plan Dominance in the Health Insurance Marketplaces, Erik Wengle, Emily Curran, Bridget Courtot, Caroline Elmendorf, Kevin Lucia, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June 2020
- Perspectives From Brokers: The Individual Market Stabilizes While Short-Term and Other Alternative Products Pose Risks, Sabrina Corlette, Erik Wengle, Ian Hill, Olivia Hoppe, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2020
- Minimizing Risks to Patients in High-Stakes Provider-Payer Contract Disputes, Sabrina Corlette, Emily Curran, Rachel Schwab, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 2020
- The ACA’s Effect On The Individual Insurance Market, Sabrina Corlette, Linda J. Blumberg, and Kevin Lucia, Health Affairs, March 2020
- States Seek to Improve Affordability, Expand Coverage Through Public Option and Medicaid Buy-in Proposals (new window), Sabrina Corlette, Rachel Schwab, Justin Giovannelli, and Emily Curran, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, January 2020
- States Work to Make Individual Market Health Coverage More Affordable, But Long-Term Solutions Call for Federal Leadership, Justin Giovannelli, JoAnn Volk, and Kevin Lucia, Commonwealth Fund, January 2020
2019
- Assessing Responses to Increased Provider Consolidation in Six Markets: Final Report, Sabrina Corlette, Jack Hoadley, Katie Keith, Olivia Hoppe, National Institute for Health Care Reform, October 2019
- States Seek Greater Control, Cost-Savings by Converting to State-Based Marketplaces, Sabrina Corlette, Kevin Lucia, Katie Keith, Olivia Hoppe, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, October 2019
- States Step Up to Protect Insurance Markets and Consumers from Short-Term Health Plans, Dania Palanker, Maanasa Kona, Emily Curran, The Commonwealth Fund, May 2019
- New York’s 2014 Law to Protect Consumers from Surprise Out-of-Network Bills Mostly Working as Intended: Results of a Case Study, Sabrina Corlette and Olivia Hoppe, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 2019
- The Marketing of Short-Term Health Plans: An Assessment of Industry Practices and State Regulatory Responses, Sabrina Corlette, Kevin Lucia, Dania Palanker, Olivia Hoppe, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2019
2018
- Assessing the Effectiveness of State-Based Reinsurance: Case Studies of Three States’ Efforts to Bolster Their Individual Markets, Rachel Schwab, Emily Curran, Sabrina Corlette, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, November 2018
- Assessing Responses to Increased Provider Consolidation in Three Markets, Sabrina Corlette, Jack Hoadley, Katie Keith, Olivia Hoppe, National Institute for Health Care Reform, November 2018
- Views From the Market: Insurance Brokers’ Perspectives on Changes to Individual Health Insurance, Kevin Lucia, Sabrina Corlette, Dania Palanker, Olivia Hoppe, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 2018
- Health Care Sharing Ministries: What Are the Risks to Consumers and Insurance Markets? JoAnn Volk, Emily Curran, Justin Giovannelli, The Commonwealth Fund, August 2018
- Safeguarding Financial Stability of Provider Risk-Bearing Organizations, Erin Taylor, Michael Bailit, JoAnn Volk, Bailit Health and Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms, August 2018
- New Rules to Expand Association Health Plans: How Will They Affect the Individual Market? Sabrina Corlette, Josh Hammerquist, Pete Nakahata, Society of Actuaries, May 2018
- Short-Term Plans Could Bring Long-Term Risks to California’s Individual Market, Dania Palanker, JoAnn Volk, Kevin Lucia, Rachel Schwab, California Healthcare Foundation and Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms, April 2018
- State Regulation of Coverage Options Outside of the Affordable Care Act: Limiting the Risk to the Individual Market, Kevin Lucia, Justin Giovannelli, Sabrina Corlette , JoAnn Volk, Dania Palanker, Maanasa Kona, Emily Curran, The Commonwealth Fund, March 2018
- How Did State-Run Health Insurance Marketplaces Fare in 2017? Justin Giovannelli, Emily Curran, The Commonwealth Fund, March 2018
- Insurers Remaining in the Affordable Care Act Markets Prepare for Continued Uncertainty in 2018, 2019, Sabrina Corlette, Linda Blumberg, John Holahan, Olivia Hoppe, Kevin Lucia and Erik Wengle, Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March 2018
- Association Health Plan Proposed Rule: Summary and Implications for States, State Health & Value Strategies and Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms, January 2018
- State Flexibility in a New Era: What Are the Research Priorities for Section 1332 Waivers? Justin Giovannelli, Academy Health, January 2018
2017
- State Options to Protect Consumers and Stabilize the Market: Responding to President Trump’s Executive Order on Association Health Plans, Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, December 2017
- State Options to Protect Consumers and Stabilize the Market: Responding to President Trump’s Executive Order on Short-Term Health Plans, Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, December 2017
- Stepping into the Breach: How States and Insurers Worked Together to Prevent Bare Counties for 2018, Kevin Lucia, Jack Hoadley, Sabrina Corlette, Dania Palanker, Olivia Hoppe, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, November 2017
- Stepping into the Breach: State Options to Protect Consumers and Stabilize Markets in the Wake of Federal Changes to the Affordable Care Act, Sabrina Corlette, JoAnn Volk, Kevin Lucia, Sandy Ahn, Rachel Schwab, Dania Palanker, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 2017
- Small Business Health Insurance and the ACA: Views from the Market 2017 (new window), Sabrina Corlette, Jack Hoadley, Kevin Lucia, and Dania Palanker, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July 2017
- Navigating the Coverage Experience and Financial Challenges for Cancer Patients: Affordable Care Act Brings Improvements, But Challenges Remain, JoAnn Volk, Sandy Ahn, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, July 2017
- Balance Billing by Health Care Providers: Assessing Consumer Protections Across States, Kevin Lucia, Jack Hoadley and Ashley Williams, The Commonwealth Fund, June 2017.
- State Efforts to Lower Cost-Sharing Barriers to Health Care for the Privately Insured, Sandy Ahn and Sabrina Corlette, Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June 2017.
- Responding to the Opioid Crisis: Insurers Balance Stepped up Monitoring, Restrictions with Need for Appropriate Pain Treatment, Dania Palanker, Sandy Ahn and Sabrina Corlette, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 2017.
- Efforts to Support Consumer Enrollment Decisions Using Total Cost Estimators: Lessons from the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces, Justin Giovannelli, Emily Curran, The Commonwealth Fund, February 2017
- Uncertain Future for Affordable Care Act Leads Insurers to Rethink Participation, Prices, Sabrina Corlette, Kevin Lucia, Justin Giovannelli and Dania Palanker, Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2017.
- How Accessible and Affordable were Individual Market Health Plans before the Affordable Care Act? Depends Where You Lived, Sandy Ahn, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2017.
2016
- Strategies to Stabilize the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces: Lessons from Medicare, Sabrina Corlette and Jack Hoadley, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 2016.
- Regulation of Health Plan Provider Networks, Justin Giovannelli, Kevin Lucia and Sabrina Corlette, Health Affairs, July 2016.
- Factors Affecting Health Insurance Enrollment Through the State Marketplaces: Observations on the ACA’s Third Open Enrollment Period, Justin Giovannelli and Emily Curran, The Commonwealth Fund, July 2016.
- Missed Opportunities: State-Based Marketplaces Fail to Meet Stated Policy Goals of Standardized Benefit Designs, Sabrina Corlette, Sandy Ahn, Kevin Lucia and Hannah Ellison, Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July 2016.
- Understanding the Consumer Enrollment Experience in Federally Facilitated Marketplaces, Sabrina Corlette, Sandy Ahn and Hannah Ellison, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 2016.
- A Tale of Three Cities: How the Affordable Care Act is Changing the Consumer Coverage Experience in 3 Diverse Communities (new window), JoAnn Volk, Hannah Ellison, Sabrina Corlette and Jack Hoadley, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2016.
- Can Telemedicine Help Address Concerns with Network Adequacy? Opportunities and Challenges in Six States (new window), Sandy Ahn, Sabrina Corlette and Kevin Lucia, Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2016.
- Implementing the Affordable Care Act: Promoting Competition in the Individual Marketplaces (new window), David Cusano and Kevin Lucia, The Commonwealth Fund, February 2016.
2015
- Why are Many CO-OPs Failing? How New Nonprofit Health Plans Have Responded to Market Competition, (new window) Sabrina Corlette, Sean Miskell, Julia Lerche and Justin Giovannelli, The Commonwealth Fund, December 2015.
- The Experiences of State-Run Insurance Marketplaces That Use HealthCare.gov (new window), Justin Giovannelli and Kevin Lucia, The Commonwealth Fund, September 2015.
- Post–Affordable Care Act Trends in Health Coverage for Small Businesses: Views From the Market, (new window) Kevin Lucia, Sabrina Corlette and Sandy Ahn, Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, September 2015.
- Big Data: A New Paradigm for Health Plan Oversight and Consumer Protection? (new window) Sabrina Corlette, Sandy Ahn and JoAnn Volk, August, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, August 2015.
- Six State Experiences with Marketplace Renewals: A Look Back and a Glimpse Forward (new window), Sandy Ahn, Jack Hoadley and Sabrina Corlette, Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, July 2015.
- Balance Billing: How are States Protecting Consumers from Unexpected Charges? (new window) Jack Hoadley, Sandy Ahn and Kevin Lucia, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, June 2015.
- Implementing the Affordable Care Act: State Regulation of Marketplace Plan Provider Networks (new window), Justin Giovannelli, Kevin Lucia and Sabrina Corlette, The Commonwealth Fund, May 2015.
- Before and After the Affordable Care Act: Consumers’ Coverage Experience Through the Eyes of State Consumer Assistance Programs (new window), Sabrina Corlette, Sandy Ahn and JoAnn Volk, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, April 2015.
- Special Enrollment Periods in 2014: A Study of Select States (new window), Jane Wishner, Sandy Ahn, Kevin Lucia and Sarah Gadsden, Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, February 2015.
- Insurance Brokers and the ACA: Early Barriers and Options for Expanding Their Role (new window), Sabrina Corlette, Linda Blumberg and Erik Wengle, Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, February 2015.