Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio and American Academy of Family Physicians’ Advocacy Insider
The Trump administration recently finalized a rule that expands access to health insurance policies that skirt many of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) regulations (Source: “Trump Administration to Allow Renewable, Short-Term Insurance,” Modern Healthcare, August 1, 2018).
The rule allows people to buy short-term, limited-duration health coverage that lasts up to 12 months and renew that coverage for a maximum of 36 months. Insurers can deny short-term coverage to people who have pre-existing conditions.
The American Academy of Family Physicians expressed strong concern with this proposal in a letter.
The Obama administration, citing consumer protections, had limited such plans, which are cheaper with skimpier benefits than ACA-compliant plans, to less than three months, and they weren’t renewable.
The Trump administration has touted the move to expand access to short-term insurance coverage as a way to make healthcare coverage more affordable for people who have been priced out of the individual market.