ASPE Issue Brief

The COVID-19 pandemic and policy responses, including stay-at-home orders and expanded use of telework, disrupted data collection for major HHS data systems. This brief identifies the impact of the pandemic on 29 HHS statistical surveys and administrative data systems widely used by policymakers and the public.

As of August 4, 2021, 70.1 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. However, vaccine coverage varies dramatically across the country, with vaccine coverage being less than 40 percent in a third of U.S. counties. Despite a sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines, daily vaccinations have dwindled in recent months.

For working-age adults with disabilities, consistent access to health insurance may be critical to continuity of care and good health outcomes. We tracked changes in health insurance coverage for this population from 2010-2018.

This Issue Brief describes changes in the uninsured rate, health coverage, and access to care for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) and discusses key policies for this population, including how the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) builds on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and invests additional resources in the Indian health care system.

States have embraced Medicaid telehealth flexibilities during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), enhancing beneficiary access to services delivered via telehealth. This Issue Brief examines state Medicaid telehealth coverage and policies before and after the COVID-19 PHE was declared in January 2020.Related Products

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) offers enhanced health insurance premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions for people receiving unemployment compensation (UC) benefits in 2021. The enhanced subsidies are accessible on HealthCare.gov as of July 1, 2021.

This Issue Brief analyzes national survey data to discuss demographic characteristics of the LGB+ community, recent trends in insurance coverage for this population, and various challenges and barriers to care faced by the broader LGBTQ+ community.Related Products

Medicare FFS beneficiary service use and associated payments to providers dropped substantially from mid-March through mid-April, but had returned to near-2019 levels by the fall of 2020. The rebound in the fall was not sufficient to offset the earlier declines in the spring, and cumulative payment levels across all states were lower in 2020 compared to 2019.

This Issue Brief presents current estimates of enrollment in health insurance coverage obtained through the ACA Marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion and the subsequent reductions in state-level uninsured rates since the ACA was implemented in 2014.Related Products

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