Comparing Employer and Nongroup Health Plans Against the Health Reform Benefit Standard

Award Amount: $315,912
Approval Date: April 13, 2010
Start Date: May 1, 2010
End Date: December 31, 2011
National Opinion Research Center
1155 E. 60th St.
Chicago, Iowa 60637
Principal Investigator: Jon R. Gabel, M.A.

Compared with health insurance sold in the individual market, employer-based group health plans provide enrollees with far greater protection from out-of-pocket expenses, and at much lower cost. The new reform legislation contains a number of provisions that will greatly improve the affordability and comprehensiveness of nongroup health plans. This project will estimate the affordability, out-of-pocket costs, and actuarial value of plans that will be available through insurance exchanges, and then compare the results with existing group and nongroup plans. In addition, the investigators will attempt to develop a more efficient mechanism for reining in high-cost plans that provide rich benefits than the excise tax that will take effect in 2018.