HAP's Latest News

According to a recent report from The Commonwealth Fund, insurance coverage gains associated with the Affordable Care Act have stalled or eroded in most of the states between 2016 and 2018 after improving in all states between 2014 and 2016. 

Across the U.S., as the COVID-19 pandemic increases the health concerns and economic struggles of many American families, new studies continue to magnify the fact that certain Americans are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic’s devastation. Americans of color—Black, American Indian, Alaska Native Americans, and Latinx—are facing more COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths than White Americans.

Last week, the Commonwealth Fund released the results of its Biennial Health Insurance Survey, 2020, and highlighted the “persistent vulnerability” in health insurance coverage, foreshadowing an even bigger crisis in coverage: as U.S. job losses resulting from the pandemic continue to increase, many more Americans also will lose their employer-based health insurance.

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation to bolster critical portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The measure’s momentum comes on the heels of recent action by the Trump Administration aimed at dismantling the ACA.

Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman issued a letter to Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation outlining specific steps Congress could take as part of the next stimulus package to help ensure access to affordable, comprehensive care for Pennsylvanians during this vulnerable time.

Today, the American Hospital Association (AHA)—in conjunction with America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Medical Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—issued a joint letter to lawmakers urging them to focus on coverage as they consider the next steps to combat COVID-19.

This week, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued two final rules regulating health information technology. The rules enable patients to download their electronic health records (EHRs) onto their smartphones using third-party apps, raising concerns about the privacy of that data, and require hospitals send electronic notifications to health care facilities or community providers when a patient is admitted, discharged, or transferred.

A recent poll by the Commonwealth Fund and NBC News finds that health care continues to be a top issue for Americans heading into the 2020 election. According to new survey results, three in ten likely voters are very or moderately worried about being able to afford their health insurance and out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs during the next year, and nearly 80 percent believe that reducing health care costs should be a high priority for the next President.

In an unusual move, today the Supreme Court stated that it will hear the case attempting to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during its next term, which starts during October, one month before voters who are increasingly concerned about health care will cast their ballots in the 2020 Presidential election.

New survey results from NORC, a non-partisan research institute at the University of Chicago, highlights the increasing hardship of high medical bills on Americans and their families, and explore the use of social media and online crowdfunding sites as a viable means for help paying medical bills.