Narrow Networks: Do We Know When Networks Have Become Too Narrow?

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​The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has created a greater degree of standardization of health insurance plans than has ever existed in the individual (non-group) health insurance market. As a result, one of the most significant remaining features of health plans that can vary considerably is the number of doctors and hospitals contracting with each health plan. “Narrow networks” has led to some concern that those buying health insurance in the individual market, both inside and outside the Exchanges, now face more restricted access to doctors and hospitals in their immediate geographic area. Gerald Kominski, the Center’s director, summarizes what is known about narrow networks from the research literature; discusses challenges in defining and measuring network adequacy; and proposes further research to determine whether narrow networks are necessarily associated with lower quality care.

Speakers

Gerald F. Kominski

Gerald F. Kominski

Senior Fellow, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, and Principal Investigator, CalSIM

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Upcoming Events

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Training Webinar // 12:00 PM — 1:30 PM

California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) Data User Training: October 30, 2025

Join the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research as we host a data user training on Thursday, October 30 to demonstrate how to use CHIS' free online health query tool AskCHIS™ to get data on a wide range of health topics.

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