GOP's Latest ACA Sabotage? Junk Health Coverage Plans
Today, the Trump Administration issued a final rule allowing for the massive expansion of so called ‘short-term, limited-duration' junk health coverage plans that don't provide essential coverage and exclude people with pre-existing conditions, at the same time that open enrollment for ACA Marketplaces for 2019 begins this fall.The GOP is now touting ‘cheaper' health care, but the American people know the truth. Under this rule, people with pre-existing conditions will face new discrimination and higher insurance premiums in the marketplaces.
POLITICO: Trump whacks Obamacare by boosting short-term health plans
The short-term plans are cheaper in part because insurers can refuse to cover people with pre-existing conditions and limit coverage of expensive services like mental health treatment. Short-term plans also typically cap coverage, so customers can still end up getting socked with expensive medical bills.
Bloomberg: Short-Term Health Plans Backed by Trump Are Cheap for a Reason
Short-term health plans with a history of consumer complaints will get a larger role in the U.S. insurance market under a Trump administration plan to expand alternatives to Obamacare.
The temporary plans, which were originally intended for people between jobs, are allowed to offer coverage that's far skimpier than what the Affordable Care Act requires.
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The rule released on Wednesday makes the short-term plans available for a duration of up to a year, and insurers can make the plans renewable for as long as three years.
New York Times: What to Know Before You Buy Short-Term Health Insurance
The Trump administration has just completed rules that will allow people to shop for a new kind of health insurance. So-called short-term plans will be offered for relatively long periods … But the plans are cheaper for a reason: They tend to cover fewer medical services than comprehensive insurance, and they will charge higher prices to people with pre-existing health problems, if they'll cover them at all.
The GOP health agenda means dismantling protections for people with pre-existing conditions, shattering the guarantee of Medicare and Medicaid and handing billions in enormous tax breaks to the same Big Pharma companies hiking prices on seniors and working families.
Democrats are offering A Better Deal for the people, with stronger health protections, better coverage and lower health care costs, including lower prescription drug prices, for American families.