Templates & Toolkits | Feb 1, 2022

Communicating About Surprise Billing: A Toolkit for States Implementing the No Surprises Act

GMMB

As of January 1, 2022, a new federal law, the No Surprises Act, is in effect to protect consumers from surprise medical bills for out-of-network care. Some states have laws that already protect some consumers from surprise medical bills, depending on the type of health insurance they have. The federal law applies to all states, extends protections, and offers protections to many more people, including those with employer-sponsored health insurance. This toolkit includes suggested template resources to use in communicating with consumers about the No Surprises Act. A Spanish translation of the toolkit is available here.


Expert Perspectives

September 6, 2024

Current Considerations for State Reinsurance Programs

Reinsurance is a long-standing tool for stabilizing health insurance markets and reducing premiums, and has played an important role in the success of the Affordable Care Act’s individual market as part of section 1332 state innovation waivers. Reinsurance increases affordability for consumers ineligible for the premium tax credit (PTC). However, the effects on PTC recipients are smaller, mixed, and have received little attention. This expert perspective summarizes recent research which raises questions about the impact of reinsurance programs on PTC recipients, and highlights related considerations for state policymakers.

CMS Issues Guidance on Renewal Timeliness Post-Unwinding

On August 29, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a CMCS Informational Bulletin (CIB) and accompanying slide deck to support states facing renewal backlogs. With this guidance, CMS is providing states additional time—until December 31, 2025—to complete Medicaid and CHIP eligibility renewals, address persistent backlogs in processing redeterminations, and achieve compliance with federal renewal timeliness requirements. This expert perspective provides an overview of the CIB.