Changes to 2016 Marketplace Coverage Expected to Benefit Consumers
<p>With the third open enrollment period for marketplace health insurance plans well under way, a new Commonwealth Fund issue brief takes a look at changes in 2016 coverage designed to increase transparency and enhance consumer protections in qualified plans.</p><p>Author Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, a former official with both the federal Office of Health Reform and Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, examines implications of changes that will:</p>
<ul>
<li>make it faster for people to obtain nonformulary prescription drugs</li>
<li>provide consumers with more information on their plan’s provider network</li>
<li>require coverage of services that help patients retain, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living</li>
<li>include a per-person cap within the maximum family out-of-pocket cost limit</li>
<li>enable consumers to easily compare out-of-pocket costs under different plans. </li>
</ul>