Disparities

Implementation Briefs

Update: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Health Care

Categories: Disparities, Implementation Update, Public Health

Posted on December 1, 2011

This post serves as an Implementation Update to our previous Implementation Brief on racial and ethnic disparities, originally posted April 15, 2010. The Update reflects changes made by HHS in their recently-released health survey standards.

Update on Essential Health Benefits: The Institute of Medicine Report

Categories: Disparities, Health Insurance, Implementation Update

Posted on October 21, 2011

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) beginning January 1, 2014, state insurance Exchanges become operational and comprehensive insurance market reforms take effect. One of the most significant market reforms is the requirement that all health insurance plans sold in the individual and small group (100 employees or fewer) markets – whether sold outside or inside state insurance Exchanges – cover “essential health benefits” (EHBs). The definition of EHBs also will apply to Medicaid “benchmark” plans, the specified coverage standard for individuals made newly eligible by the ACA’s Medicaid expansions.

The Basic Health Program

Categories: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Disparities, Health Insurance, Medicaid and CHIP

Posted on June 29, 2011

An important issue in implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is how to address the needs of uninsured low-income individuals and families whose incomes exceed Medicaid eligibility levels but are less than twice the federal poverty level (about $37,000 for a family of 3 in 2011). Under the ACA, the basic approach to assisting such individuals and families is the state health insurance Exchange, which enables qualified individuals to secure coverage and provides access to premium assistance and cost-sharing subsidies aimed at making coverage and care affordable.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Health Care

Categories: Disparities

Posted on April 15, 2010

Requires federally conducted or supported health programs to collect and report data related to race, ethnicity, and other indicators sufficient to generate statistically reliable estimates of health disparities.