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, AHA said in comments submitted yesterday.

“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,” AHA said. “We are also concerned about the continued rise in annual cost-sharing limits, which many Americans already struggle to afford.”

AHA encouraged 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.”
 

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA July 3 released the Health Care Plan Accountability Update for the second quarter of 2025. The update covers the latest developments in Medicare…
Headline
Jon Ulven, Ph.D., behavioral health psychologist and chair of adult psychology at Sanford Health, details the fragile behavioral health landscape in rural…
Headline
The Supreme Court June 27 voted 6-3 to uphold an Affordable Care Act provision creating an independent task force charged with making recommendations of…
Headline
Kevin McEwan, DNP, R.N., chief nursing officer at Madison Memorial Hospital, shares how Medicaid provides vital behavioral health and maternal and child care…
Headline
Boston Medical Center’s Jeff Schneider, M.D., associate chief medical officer, designated institutional official and chair of the Graduate Medical Education…
Perspective
In the next few days, Senate Republican leaders plan to unveil and vote on their updated reconciliation bill, which, as currently constructed, would have far-…