HHS Releases Final Rule Aimed At Limiting ‘Junk’ Health Insurance Plans

The New York Times: Biden Administration Finalizes Rule Curbing Use Of Short-Term Health Plans
The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it had finalized a new regulation that curbs the use of short-term health insurance plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act, reversing a move by the Trump administration to give consumers more access to cheaper but skimpier plans. Under the new rule, the short-term plans will be able to last for only 90 days, with an option for a one-month extension. (Weiland, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: Short-Term ‘Junk’ Health Insurance Limited Under HHS Rule 
The plans are not subject to consumer protections set by the Affordable Care Act, which includes a requirement for policies to cover individuals with preexisting conditions. Under the final rules, consumers cannot purchase short-term, limited-duration insurance plans issued by the same company within a one-year period. The rules also require an insurer to provide clear disclosures regarding coverage limits in all marketing, application, enrollment and re-enrollment materials. (DeSilva, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Extends Marketplace Enrollment For Medicaid, CHIP Members
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Thursday it will extend the temporary special enrollment period for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program members who no longer qualify for coverage to enroll with a federal marketplace insurer. Those no longer eligible for Medicaid or CHIP will now have until Nov. 30 to transition to a marketplace plan. The original deadline was July 31. (DeSilva, 3/28)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes To See Medicare Pay Bump In 2025 Under CMS Proposal
Nursing homes, hospices and inpatient psychiatric hospitals would get pay bumps in fiscal 2025 under a series of proposed rules issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Thursday. Skilled nursing homes would get a 4.1% increase in Medicare reimbursements under one proposed rule. The proposed regulation also includes revisions that would tighten CMS oversight of those facilities. (Eastabrook, 3/28)

In other insurance news from across the country —

The Texas Tribune: Texas Medicaid Gaps Can Trap Disabled Texans In Hospitals
After surviving five surgeries and near organ failure, Kaitlyn Cunningham just wanted to go home. Instead, she would face another trial — fighting her way out of the hospital. Cunningham would spend an entire additional month confined to the second floor of Cedar Park Regional Medical Center, snared in a tangle of insurance denials, care needs and coverage confusion. (Bohra, 3/28)

AP: Mississippi Senate Passes Trimmed Medicaid Expansion And Sends Bill Back To The House
Mississippi lawmakers will try to negotiate on expanding Medicaid in one of the poorest states in the U.S. after the Senate voted Thursday for a vastly different plan than one proposed by the House. The upper chamber’s proposal would insure fewer people and bring less federal money to the state than the version approved by the House last month. But the Senate’s approach includes a tougher work requirement and measures to prevent a wider expansion of Medicaid benefits in the future. (Goldberg, 3/28)

KFF Health News: Your Doctor Or Your Insurer? Little-Known Rules May Ease The Choice In Medicare Advantage
Bart Klion, 95, and his wife, Barbara, faced a tough choice in January: The upstate New York couple learned that this year they could keep either their private, Medicare Advantage insurance plan — or their doctors at Saratoga Hospital. The Albany Medical Center system, which includes their hospital, is leaving the Klions’ Humana plan — or, depending on which side is talking, the other way around. The breakup threatened to cut the couple’s lifeline to cope with serious chronic health conditions. (Jaffe, 3/29)