Development of Health Insurance Marketplaces and analysis of ongoing coverage and access issues for people with disabilities


DREDF advocates for accessibility of information about insurance sold through the Health Insurance Marketplace and clear information about benefits and coverage offered by insurers.

DREDF submitted comments on the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC), Uniform Glossary, and other supporting materials published by the Internal Revenue Service at the Department of the Treasury (IRS), the Employee Benefits Security Administration at the Department of Labor (EBSA), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the Department of Health and Human Services (CMS) (collectively, the Tri-Agencies). (March 28, 2016)

National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Draft Network Adequacy Model Act (PDF)

We urged NAIC to strengthen its proposed Network Adequacy Model Act by calling for physical and programmatic access criteria to be included in evaluating the capacity of health care provider networks to adequately serve diverse patient populations. (January 2015)

Disability Guide and Factsheets for Federal Marketplace Navigators

DREDF, in collaboration with the American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) created the Guide to Disability for Healthcare Insurance Marketplace Navigators (PDF) and 15 substantive fact sheets on topics such as getting and using health plan evidence of coverage and the process for Medicaid eligibility. (January 2014)

Essential Health Benefits Bulletin

We commented on the US Department of Health and Human Services Essential Health Benefits bulletin, pointing out that the benchmark approach to establishing EHBs would serve to entrench discrimination that is already imbedded within plan benefit design if it is not explicitly subject to clear federal standards for each benefit category that abolishes discriminatory benefit limits and scopes of coverage. (February 14, 2012)

Establishment of Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans

We commented on the US Department of Health and Human Services requirements related to establishment of the Exchanges (later renamed Marketplaces) and Qualified Health Plans. We urged the department to give states further guidance about what Exchanges and QHPs need do to ensure non¬discrimination in practice given the longstanding health disparities experienced by people with disabilities. It cannot be simply “business as usual” in the guise of a new marketplace. (October 31, 2011)