Legislative recommendations to support insurance affordability, nursing homes, and home and community based services (HCBS) in Virginia will make their way to the General Assembly as a result of the Joint Commission On Health Care’s final meeting of the year. The Commission also voted on the selection of its 2022 studies topics. The … Read more
Legislation to mandate additional coverage for amputees and postpartum people received a nearly unanimous recommendation from the Virginia Health Insurance Reform Commission on Monday. The bi-cameral Commission, chaired by Sen. George Barker (D – Alexandria), has spent the last few months analyzing a backlog of bills concerning health coverage and preparing legislative recommendations for the … Read more
November marked the end of the public comment period on a draft of the Commonwealth’s 1332 State Innovation Waiver application, which would create a Virginia reinsurance program and could reduce premiums by 15.6%, according to an analysis by the Bureau of Insurance (BOI). Several organizations, including Kaiser Permanente and CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, submitted … Read more
Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) will invest additional American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds — a total of $500,000 — to improve coordination between SCC, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS). The funding is part of a $20 million nationwide grant the Biden Administration … Read more
Senator J. Chapman Petersen’s (D-Fairfax) bill to establish standards for vertically integrated health carriers (VICs) received testimony at the Health Insurance Reform Commission meeting last week, with both sides claiming the other would increase health costs for Virginians. Senate Bill 867 defines a VIC as a health insurer or other entity that also … Read more
On Tuesday, the Virginia Health Insurance Reform Commission discussed a number of mandated provider benefit bills referred from the 2020 session. The bi-cameral commission is charged with reviewing legislation, ensuring proper implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and recommending changes as necessary. Commission Chair Sen. George Barker previously asked the Bureau of … Read more
Leaders from various health care silos discussed potential strategies to increase payment parity at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Virtual Colloquium Addressing Health Equity last week. A 2019 survey from the Virginia Center for Health Innovation found over 55% of surveyed adults in Virginia experienced health care affordability hardships in the last one to two years prior … Read more
Virginia is joining a number of states considering a public option, among other strategies, to make health insurance more affordable for Virginians. General Assembly members of the Health Insurance Affordability in the Individual Market Subcommittee, under the Joint Commission on Health Care, met Wednesday to consult insurance experts on potential solutions. Stephen Weiss, … Read more
Over 48,000 Virginians gained health insurance through the state marketplace during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP), which concluded Sunday, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The SEP report estimates over 2.5 million Americans overall gained health coverage through HealthCare.gov and state marketplaces during the SEP. Medicaid enrollment in … Read more