New Report About Narrow Networks Released by McKinsey Center

Roughly half of the products sold on exchanges in 2014 were narrow-network plans, according to a study by the McKinsey Center for US Health System Reform (read the study here). In the largest city in each state, that figure jumped to 60 percent.

The vast majority of exchange customers had a choice between broad- or narrow-network plans, the McKinsey study found. Broad network plans were available to 90 percent of potential customers, while narrow-network plans were an option for 92 percent of that population. Read the rest of the article in Modern Healthcare here (requires a free subscription). 

Creating rules around network adequacy are difficult for rural areas as a balance must be struck to create standards strong enough for meaningful access protections, but flexible enough to be achievable for the Qualified Health Plans. This discussion won't be over any time soon.