Analyzing Changes in the Second Lowest Cost Silver Plan: Implications for Consumers

Grant: #73781

Grantee Institution: RAND Corporation

Principal Investigator: Christine Buttorff, Ph.D.

Grant Period: September 1, 2016 - February 28, 2017

Budget: $149,698

This project is funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s solicitation “Policy-Relevant Insurance Studies” (PRIS), which supports studies that evaluate or predict the effects of policies or policy changes related to health insurance coverage. The goal of this research is to inform policymakers and other stakeholders about the potential consequences of the current Affordable Care Act tax credit structure, including variation in the tax credits’ value over time and the implications for consumers in terms of their ability to afford continuous coverage. Using publicly available Qualified Health Plan files for the Federally Facilitated Marketplaces for 2014-2016, as well as data compiled for the State-Based Marketplaces, this project will assess how frequently the issuer, plan and premium for the second-lowest cost silver plan changed and examine the impact on consumers.

Publications

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Alternative Tax Subsidization Approaches for Health Insurance
RAND Corporation | September 2017