Below is this week’s update on the Affordable Care Act. As always, thank you for all you do every day to support laws and policies that help cancer patients and their families
Government Hosts Stakeholders Conference on Health Exchanges
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted an all-day meeting Monday on health exchanges. The goal was to discuss some of the major issues that will need to be addressed in federal regulations of health exchanges. The day consisted of a series of panels with various stakeholders addressing their major concerns and interests. Steve Finan, ACS CAN’s senior director of Policy, was on the first panel, which looked at consumer and patient perspectives. Among those in the audience were staff from the Departments of HHS, Labor, and Treasury who will be involved in drafting the exchange regulations.
In addition, ACS CAN is working with other consumer groups to submit comments in response to a list of questions HHS published in July soliciting background information that will assist the department in drafting regulations. The group’s collective comments will be posted upon completion.
Potential Enterprise-wide Partnerships with State Ombudsman Programs
Society and ACS CAN representatives have begun conversations in several states about the possibility of partnering with state agencies responsible for implementing the state ombudsman program as part of the Affordable Care Act implementation process.
The new law provides consumers with significant new protections, including the ability to choose a health plan that best suits their needs and to appeal denials of coverage. HHS recently announced new Consumer Assistance Grants totaling $30 million to help states strengthen consumer assistance programs, educate consumers and answer questions about their health options, and ensure access to accurate information. The grant announcement noted that very few states have experience with this kind of effort. States are being encouraged to enter into partnerships with non-profit organizations as a way to develop knowledge and expertise in designing programs to provide consumer services. The Society and ACS CAN are uniquely positioned nationwide to be a strong resource and partner for states in this endeavor.
Rand Study Says New Law Will Give More Workers Access to Health Care
The Los Angeles Times reports that a Rand Corp. study out this week concludes that the Affordable Care Act will increase the number of workers who get insurance through their jobs. The study estimates that under the new law, 13.6 million more employees in the United States will be given access to health coverage through their employer, an increase that will raise the proportion of U.S. workers with employer-sponsored health insurance to 94.6 percent from the current 84.6 percent.
According to the Times, the study finds that the impact will be felt most among small businesses of 50 or fewer employees. Only 60.4 percent of small business employees currently have access to health insurance through their jobs. Rand researchers estimate that once the health insurance exchanges are functioning in 2014, nearly 86 percent of small business employees will be able to purchase health coverage through their employer, an increase of 10.5 million workers. According to Rand, the growth will be attributable in part to lower costs for policies offered through the exchanges and the ability of small businesses to join together to pool their risk.
Christopher W. Hansen
President
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)