Data on Managed Care Reported by Researchers at Harvard University (Small Marketplace Premiums Pose Financial and Administrative Burdens: Evidence From Massachusetts, 2016-17): Managed Care

2024 MAY 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators discuss new findings in Managed Care. According to news reporting from Boston, Massachusetts, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Health insurance premiums are primarily understood to pose financial barriers to coverage. However, the need to remit monthly premium payments may also create administrative burdens that negatively affect coverage, even in cases where affordability is a negligible concern.”

Financial support for this research came from Audrey.

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Harvard University, “Using 2016-17 data from the Massachusetts health insurance Marketplace and a natural experiment, we evaluated how coverage retention was affected by the introduction of nominal (less than $10 for most enrollees) monthly premiums for plans that previously had $0 premiums. Compared with plans that maintained $0 premiums, those that took on nominal premiums saw enrollment fall by 14 percent over the following year. This attrition was attributable to terminations for nonpayment; most terminations occurred at the end of January, implying that a significant number of affected enrollees never initiated premium payments. These findings suggest that even very small premiums act as enrollment barriers, which may sometimes reflect administrative burdens more than financial hardship.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Several policy approaches could mitigate adverse coverage outcomes related to nominal premiums.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Small Marketplace Premiums Pose Financial and Administrative Burdens: Evidence From Massachusetts, 2016-17. Health Affairs, 2024;43(1):80-90. Health Affairs can be contacted at: Project Hope, 7500 Old Georgetown Rd, Ste 600, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133, USA.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Adrianna Mcintyre, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, United States. Additional authors for this research include Timothy J. Layton and Mark Shepard.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.00649. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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