AHA to CMS Re: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2021

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed rule on the standards governing health insurance issuers and the Health Insurance Marketplaces for 2021 includes a number of policies that could benefit patients by lowering drug prices and premiums, incentivizing use of high-value services and ensuring premium dollars are spent wisely, 

"We are concerned, however, that CMS continues to consider changes to automatic reenrollment, which could result in the loss of coverage for vulnerable enrollees and contribute to marketplace destabilization. “We are also concerned about the continued rise in annual cost-sharing limits, which many Americans already struggle to afford.”

AHA encourages the agency to “go further in future rulemaking to advance policies that will not only maintain the status quo but also build on the progress already made. Such policies include substantially increasing funding for outreach and enrollment efforts, extending the open enrollment period, and increasing lower- and middle-income individuals and families’ access to premium tax credits.”