AHA voices support for proposed standards for 2025 marketplace plans 

Commenting Jan. 8 on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed standards for qualified health plans offered through the health insurance marketplaces for 2025, AHA said it supports the agency’s efforts to strengthen network adequacy standards, standardize and streamline marketplace operations, ease the enrollment process and improve access to certain health care services. 

“Most importantly, the proposed policies would require state-based marketplaces to establish time and distance network adequacy standards for qualified health plans that are at least as stringent as those for the federally facilitated marketplace,” AHA wrote. “While we are aware that there may be better approaches to measuring access to care, and we support the development of alternative metrics, we believe that as of today time and distance standards remain an important incentive for plans to contract with an adequate and comprehensive network of providers.”