Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), individuals receiving a federal subsidy are entitled to a three-month premium nonpayment grace period. This has obvious benefits for consumers, yet the provision has also created significant apprehension among doctors and other healthcare providers who worry they will go unpaid when coverage is retroactively terminated for their patients. This article explains how this provision could have even broader adverse implications for the healthcare system and what can be done.
This article was published in Health Affairs.