Category: Insurance

This brief discusses federal mental health parity protections — what they are, who they apply to, who enforces them and key policy issues as Congress and federal agencies evaluate improvements to the law to address gaps in mental health coverage and access.

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Senate recently passed a three-year extension (through 2025) of enhanced subsidies for people buying their own health coverage on the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. The enhanced subsidies increase the amount of financial help available to those already eligible and also newly expand subsidies to middle-income people, many of whom were previously priced out of coverage. Here’s what to know about the likely renewal of these subsidies:

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Senate recently passed a three-year extension (through 2025) of enhanced subsidies for people buying their own health coverage on the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces. The enhanced subsidies increase the amount of financial help available to those already eligible and also newly expand subsidies to middle-income people, many of whom were previously priced out of coverage. Here’s what to know about the likely renewal of these subsidies:

This policy watch provides an update on the status of state adoption and implementation of the Medicaid 12-month postpartum coverage extension option as states wrap up their 2022 legislative sessions.

This policy watch provides an update on the status of state adoption and implementation of the Medicaid 12-month postpartum coverage extension option as states wrap up their 2022 legislative sessions.

Emerging COVID-19 variants, like the Omicron subvariant BA.5 that has recently caused a surge in cases, may pose new risks to children and create challenges for the back-to-school season. Children may also continue to face challenges due to the ongoing health, economic, and social consequences of the pandemic. This brief examines how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect children’s physical and mental health, considers what the findings mean for the upcoming back-to-school season, and explores recent policy responses.

Federal policymakers have taken several actions to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic on families and children by providing state fiscal relief, increased nutrition assistance, Medicaid funding, and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); however, some of this assistance has or will expire. This brief examines hardship across three metrics—difficulty paying for normal household expenses, food sufficiency, and uncertainty in paying for rent or mortgage payments for households with children and by income.

Federal policymakers have taken several actions to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic on families and children by providing state fiscal relief, increased nutrition assistance, Medicaid funding, and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); however, some of this assistance has or will expire. This brief examines hardship across three metrics—difficulty paying for normal household expenses, food sufficiency, and uncertainty in paying for rent or mortgage payments for households with children and by income.

This poll finds most voters (55%) now say access to abortion is “very important” to their vote in November’s midterm elections, up since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. This heightened interest is greatest among voter groups who largely want to guarantee access to abortion, including Democratic voters and women voters under 50 years old.

This poll finds most voters (55%) now say access to abortion is “very important” to their vote in November’s midterm elections, up since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. This heightened interest is greatest among voter groups who largely want to guarantee access to abortion, including Democratic voters and women voters under 50 years old.