Mind the Gap: Basic Health Along the ACA's Coverage Continuum

29 Pages Posted: 1 Oct 2014 Last revised: 27 Apr 2016

See all articles by Sallie Thieme Sanford

Sallie Thieme Sanford

University of Washington - School of Law; University of Washington - School of Public Health

Date Written: September 25, 2014

Abstract

As ACA implementation proceeds, expansion states should mind the gap — the gap between Medicaid and Marketplace. In this transition between insurance platforms, people can stumble. As a bridge between expanded Medicaid and the insurance Marketplaces, the ACA allows states to enact a Basic Health Program (BHP) supported by federal funds. The BHP option, which has been delayed until 2015, aims to reduce insurance costs and increase care continuity for low-income individuals and families.

Interested states face a complicated calculus, one with significant unknowns and moving parts. In this article, I first place this new insurance affordability program in the context of comprehensive health reform efforts. I then explain key issues in a state’s BHP decision-making, and go on to consider related, evolving coverage options. Ultimately, whether a state adopts the BHP or not, it ought to mind the gap between Medicaid and Marketplace. In this transition between insurance platforms, central ACA goals of affordability and continuity will be tested.

Keywords: ACA, Affordable Care Act, Health Reform, Basic Health Option, Medicaid, Exchanges, Marketplace, Health Insurance

Suggested Citation

Sanford, Sallie Thieme, Mind the Gap: Basic Health Along the ACA's Coverage Continuum (September 25, 2014). Journal of Health Care Law & Policy (Health Care Reform Symposium: The State of the States Roundtable), Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 101-27, 2014, University of Washington School of Law Research Paper No. 2014-31, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2501472

Sallie Thieme Sanford (Contact Author)

University of Washington - School of Law ( email )

William H. Gates Hall
Box 353020
Seattle, WA 98105-3020
United States

HOME PAGE: https://www.law.washington.edu/directory/profile.aspx?ID=261

University of Washington - School of Public Health

Seattle, WA
United States

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