The end of the individual mandate penalty in 2019 and the Trump administration’s promotion of short-term health plans are among recent policy changes that could significantly erode people’s ability to find affordable, comprehensive coverage in the individual insurance market. In a Commonwealth Fund report, RAND researchers Jodi Liu and Christine Eibner examine several options for making health insurance more accessible to Americans who shop for their own coverage. These include increasing the generosity of premium tax credits, extending credits to people with higher incomes, and expanding the availability of reinsurance, which helps insurers cover high-cost claims.
