Templates & Toolkits | Mar 26, 2021

Timeline of Key Provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Patricia Boozang, Kyla Ellis, Gayle Mauser, Virginia Morgan and Allison Orris, Manatt Health

On March 11, President Biden signed an approximately $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill—the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“the American Rescue Plan,” ARPA). The American Rescue Plan includes myriad health care provisions, focused primarily in two areas: first, it provides funding the Biden administration requested to carry out its COVID-19 response plans; second, it enacts significant but largely temporary coverage policies.

Although all health care coverage provisions of the bill are temporary, many will have a lasting impact. This timeline provides the start and end dates for key health care provisions to help states plan for implementation and future policymaking. The provisions covered include: marketplace and commercial insurance, Medicaid and state and local funding.


Expert Perspectives

October 25, 2021

State Policy and IT System Strategies to Prepare for PHE Unwinding: Updating Medicaid Enrollee Address Information and Responding to Returned Mail

At the end of the public health emergency (PHE), people currently enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are at risk of losing their coverage unless state Medicaid/CHIP agencies take steps to update enrollee mailing addresses and other contact information. This expert perspective examines the information technology system, policy, and operational strategies states can consider to update key enrollee contact information to ensure eligible enrollees are able to keep or transition to new affordable health coverage at the end of the PHE.

October 22, 2021

The No Surprises Act Interim Final Rule on Dispute Resolution, Uninsured Protections, and External Review: Implications for States

On October 7, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Treasury, and Labor (DOL) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a third rule implementing the No Surprises Act (NSA), the comprehensive federal law banning balance bills in emergency and certain non-emergency settings beginning January 1, 2022. This third rule, an interim final rule, provides details on the independent dispute resolution process (IDR), good faith estimates for enrollees on the cost of services, the dispute resolution process for uninsured patients, and external review. This expert perspective summarizes the provisions of the IFR and notes particular implications for state regulators.