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Latest Issue Brief Describes Health Insurance Industry Reforms

Health Insurance and our mindset surrounding it have been evolving from the moment the first policy was issued.  The Center’s latest issue brief entitled, Health Insurance and the Affordable Care Act: How Health Reform Changed the Game for the Insurance Industry, examines the latest evolution of the insurance industry under the Affordable Care Act.

As health insurance began to emerge as a central tenet of the nation’s healthcare delivery system, it quickly became clear that it wasn’t a solution that worked for everyone.  To begin with, not all employers offered insurance and not all people had jobs.  What’s more, though many insurance companies offered private insurance on the individual market, many individuals could not afford it and were still not protected against the potentially catastrophic costs of major illness or injury.  In addition, as the insurance market itself evolved, certain business practices emerged that made it virtually impossible for some people to obtain insurance at any price.

Many provisions in the Affordable Care Act were intended to combat the market failures that put many individuals in this position.  The Center’s December issue brief takes a look at a few of the most significant health-reform related changes to the insurance industry and sheds light on why some of these changes have been met with resistance.  

To read this publication or to see other issue briefs in The Center’s collection, please visit the issue briefs section of our website.