Health Plan Weekly

June 21
AHIP 2024: Execs Say Health Disparities Persist Despite Higher Awareness

Ever since racial justice activism swept the country in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, racial disparities in health care have become a focus in the health care industry. Perhaps even more than in recent years, health equity was one of the most-discussed topics at the AHIP 2024 conference in Las Vegas.

But presenters at the conference made clear — as have their counterparts at other industry meetups — that health equity is a work in progress. Awareness of racial health disparities may be at an all-time high, but tangible progress is as elusive as ever.
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- Health Plan Weekly
June 21
What Happens If Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire?

If enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended past 2025, 17.4 million people would receive subsidized coverage next year, compared with 10.2 million if only original advance premium tax credits (APTC) are in place, a recent Urban Institute analysis shows. Meanwhile, four million more uninsured people will be covered in 2025 if the subsidy enhancements are extended.

The enhanced APTCs — which were initially passed as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act and extended as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act — resulted in lower premiums for ACA marketplace enrollees at all income levels and allowed many low-income enrollees to access $0-premium plans. If Congress doesn’t act, the credits will expire at the end of the 2025 plan year.
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- Health Plan Weekly
June 21
MCO Stock Performance, May 2024

Here’s how major health insurers’ stock performed in May 2024. Elevance Health, Inc. had the highest closing stock price among major commercial insurers as of May 31, 2024, at $538.48. Humana Inc. had the highest closing stock price among major Medicare insurers at $358.12.
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- Health Plan Weekly
June 21
News Briefs: Court Upholds ACA Preventive Services Coverage Mandate, for Now

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on June 21 found that the federal government can still require health plans to provide some preventive services to plan members free of charge under the Affordable Care Act — for now. Prior to Braidwood v. Becerra, federal regulators relied on recommendations for preventive services from medical experts in several federal agencies, especially the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Based on those recommendations, non-grandfathered health plans governed by the ACA would have to cover certain preventive services free of charge, including vaccinations and contraceptives. In their ruling in Braidwood, the Fifth Circuit's judges agreed with Texas District Court Judge Reed O'Connor's earlier finding that USPTF did not have the constitutional authority to recommend preventive services coverage mandates to federal regulators. In further litigation in O'Connor's court, the other agencies could come under the same scrutiny. According to Richard Hughes IV, partner at Epstein Becker Green, the Fifth Circuit "agree[s] that there's a constitutional problem with the [USPTF]." In addition, he says, "they just raise more questions with respect to whether the other bodies' roles are constitutional." For the time being, Hughes says, other than the plaintiffs, "all other private payers and employers subject to the ACA requirements must continue to provide zero [cost] out-of-pocket coverage for recommended preventive services, including PrEP for HIV." But going forward, Hughes says, "the requirement to cover vaccines and contraceptives could be in jeopardy."
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- Health Plan Weekly
June 14
As Insurers Are Sued Over AI Use, Regulators Aim to ‘Get Ahead’ of the Issue

Three major health insurers have denied allegations brought against them in lawsuits pertaining to the use of artificial intelligence in coverage decisions. While The Cigna Group, Humana Inc. and UnitedHealth Group may succeed in getting the cases dismissed, those companies and other payers could continue to face scrutiny over their use of AI, according to Ileana M. Hernandez, a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.

“The staggering volume of claims and complexity of claims that insurance plans need to review on a daily basis make insurance reviews an attractive target for using AI,” said Hernandez, who spoke on June 12 during a Manatt webinar. “However, the use of algorithms for review of coverage issues has resulted in questions, concerns, investigations and now lawsuits.”
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- Health Plan Weekly