Policy & Regulation

This is an evaluation policy for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), required by the Foundations for Evidence-based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act). ASPE convened a group of agency representatives from across HHS operating and staff divisions to develop the policy.

Ensuring equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is essential to mitigate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority populations. This brief summarizes currently available data on race and ethnicity of vaccinated persons at the state level.

Limited initial supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine necessitated the development of strategies to ensure efficient and equitable vaccine distribution. This brief summarizes the different vaccine distribution strategies and approaches taken by states and evaluates the extent to which these may have impacted the efficiency with which doses delivered to states are administered to patients.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) enhances and expands Marketplace premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. Among the nearly 8 million current HealthCare.gov enrollees, we estimate 79 percent could find a zero premium health plan and 87 percent could find a low premium health plan under the ARP.

These supplemental data tables are for the ASPE Issue Brief series, Access to Marketplace Plans with Low Premiums on the Federal Platform, that examines the availability of zero-premium and low-premium (defined as less than or equal to $50 per month) plans after application of advanced premium tax credits in states served by the federal Marketplace platform, HealthCare.gov, before and after the

Research shows that disruptions in Medicaid coverage are common and often lead to periods of uninsurance, delayed care, and less preventive care for beneficiaries.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) enhances and expands eligibility for premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. Under the ARP, we estimate that the availability of zero-premium plans has increased by 19 percentage points and low-premium plans by 16 percentage points, respectively, among uninsured non-elderly adults potentially eligible for Marketplace coverage in HealthCare.gov states.

Many uninsured individuals can access zero-premium or low-premium health plans after application of premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), signed into law on March 23, 2010, extended health coverage to millions of Americans through Medicaid (in the states participating in Medicaid expansion) and subsidized Marketplace coverage. However, research prior to enactment of the American Rescue Plan suggests many remaining uninsured people are not aware of their coverage options.

Experience during the first six months of the pandemic shows that the risks of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries contracting COVID-19 and subsequent hospitalization and mortality vary significantly by demographic characteristics, health status, and nursing home residence. There are several factors that indicate significantly elevated risk.