Report: Health law will make insurance more affordable to most

Meanwhile, CQ HealthBeat reports that the Department of Health and Human Services is bracing for a significant number of public comments regarding the health law's essential benefits provision.

National Journal: Most Families Can Afford Coverage Under Health Law, But Poor Still Lag
Federal assistance available under the health reform law will make private insurance affordable to 90 percent of Americans living above the poverty line even though poorer people may end up struggling more to pay out-of-pocket costs, a new report by the Commonwealth Fund found. "Basically, the Affordable Care Act is affordable for virtually everyone," said Jonathan Gruber, a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-author of the report. "The only sort of black mark is that very sick, low-income people are not as protected as they should be" (DoBias, 4/27).

Modern Healthcare: Reform Will Make Coverage Affordable For Almost All Households, Commonwealth Report Says
Estimates of medical bills under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act found most household budgets can afford premiums and other healthcare expenses after paying bills for food, child care, transportation and other necessities, a newly released report shows. About 8.5% to 9% of households living closest to the poverty line could not afford basic necessities and typical medical bills proposed by the 2010 health reform law, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund (Evans, 4/27).

CQ HealthBeat: The Public Will Have Multiple Chances To Comment On Essential Health Care Benefit Policies
The Department of Health and Human Services is expecting a barrage of comments after its recent announcement that it wants public input into the essential benefits that insurance plans in the new exchange markets will have to cover in 2014. HHS Secretary Kathleen A. Sebelius said that she will solicit feedback this fall on the types of benefits that plans must cover. The Institute of Medicine also will make recommendations later this year (Adams, 4/26).