Policy & Regulation

Under the Affordable Care Act, starting in 2014, Americans cannot be denied coverage, be charged significantly higher premiums, be subjected to an extended waiting period, or have their benefits curtailed by insurance companies because of some type of pre-existing health condition.

The report contains the results of actuarial and policy analyses of the CLASS Act and the legal analysis of various benefit plan options. This report contains important findings that will help advance the cause of charting a path to affordable and sustainable long-term care options. [48 PDF pages]

In the years since welfare reform transformed federal cash assistance for the poor into to the time-limited, work-focused Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, the issue of substance abuse among welfare recipients has arisen periodically as a policy and programmatic concern.

New results released September 21, 2011, by the National Center for Health Statistics show that the dependent-coverage provision of the Affordable Care Act has had a significant impact on improving insurance coverage among young adults.

According to the Census Bureau's 2011 Current Population Survey (CPS), there were 49.9 million uninsured individuals in 2010, or 16.3% of the total population. Those that lack insurance are a diverse group. Understanding the uninsured population is important for policy makers looking to design solutions to the problem. [5 PDF pages]

Submitted to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Report Prepared by: Pamela Loprest and Austin Nichols The Urban Institute