The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Dear John,
A new ahead-of-print article by Katie Keith and an article in the October issue discuss the Affordable Care Act.
ACA Changes & Medicaid Expansion Impacts
In a
new ahead-of-print article, Katie Keith breaks down Congress’ current efforts to build upon Affordable Care Act (ACA) developments made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The House of Representatives' September 2021 proposal for the Build Back Better Act would:
adopt permanent enhanced American Rescue Plan Act subsidies;
further improve Marketplace affordability;
close the Medicaid
coverage gap;
permanently extend the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP);
authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug
prices;
add Medicare coverage for vision, hearing, and dental services;
and more.
Keith also discusses the Biden administration’s finalization of its first full rule on Marketplace coverage, continued implementation of the No Surprises Act, and awarding of new funding for navigators and states.
Also in the October issue, Claire Margerison and coauthors investigated how Medicaid expansions from 2012 to 2018 impacted prepregnancy and postpartum mental health for
low-income people. The positive effects of expansion were clear; the authors found that Medicaid expansion was associated with a 22 percent increase in prepregnancy Medicaid coverage and a 16 percent decrease in self-reported prepregnancy depression. Associations between Medicaid expansion and
prepregnancy mental health measures increased with time since expansion. Today on Health Affairs Blog, Julia Beart and coauthors advocate for aligning the global recovery from COVID-19
with our response to climate change.
In a new GrantWatch post, Veenu Aulakh and Lynne Maguire describe how philanthropic investment in teaching safety-net providers to innovate can address health inequities.
Elevating Voices: Hispanic Heritage Month: In her Narrative Matters essay, Diana Hernández described her encounter with a “secret society” of low-income mothers whose dignity was compromised by their inability to provide for their families.
Hernández explains, “[They] had learned to use gas ‘wisely’ and turned lights on sparingly. They suffered through extreme heat and cold, and faced the constant threat that energy companies would shut off their power at any minute. This phenomenon is known as energy insecurity.” Advertise with Health Affairs this
month to take advantage of our October promotion. Spend $10K on advertising and get one week of homepage ads free! Learn more about advertising opportunities here.
Perinatal Mental Illness Is Very Common. How Can It Be Improved?
Listen to Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interview Jennifer Moore, founding executive director of the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, on perinatal mental health, what we know about it, and what policy options exist to improve it.
Health Affairs is the leading peer-reviewedjournalat the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published monthly by Project HOPE, the journal is available in print and online. Late-breaking content is also found through healthaffairs.org, Health Affairs Today, and Health Affairs Sunday Update.
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that places power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe. Project HOPE has published Health Affairs since 1981.
