Wednesday, June 25, 2014
19 States May Be Violating Laws Requiring Them To Assist Consumers With Health Care Choices
A Commonwealth Fund analysis finds that 19 states may be in violation of laws requiring them to assist consumers understand their insurance options under the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA).
Authors of a post on the Commonwealth blog, Justin Giovannelli, Kevin Lucia and Sabrina Corlette, write "Navigators, certified application counselors, and other assisters are tasked under the ACA with helping consumers understand their insurance options and make informed decisions about what coverage is right for them. Federal rules released last year established a variety of eligibility, training, and conduct standards that assisters must meet."
They add, "To date, 19 states with federally facilitated marketplaces have acted to restrict the work of consumer assisters in ways that exceed the federal regulatory framework."
The authors also say that federal regulations provide "a potentially decisive basis" to pursue court action to remove restrictions that are impeding people's ability to navigate their choices under the ACA....