8/1/2018

DEMS/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE/PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration issued a final rule on Wednesday [8-1-18] that clears the way for the sale of many more health insurance policies that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act and do not have to cover prescription drugs, maternity care or people with pre-existing conditions. President Trump has said that he believes that the new ‘short-term, limited duration insurance’ could help millions of people who do not want or need comprehensive health insurance providing the full range of benefits required by the health law. The new plans will provide ‘much less expensive health care at a much lower price,’ Mr. Trump said. The prices may be lower because the benefits will be fewer, and insurers do not have to cover pre-existing conditions or the people who have them. Under the current rule, issued in late 2016 by the Obama administration, short-term insurance cannot last for more than three months, as it was meant to be a stopgap. Under the new rule, the limit would be 364 days, and insurers would be allowed, but not required, to extend policies. The maximum duration, including any extensions, would be 36 months. Democrats deride the new health plans as ‘junk insurance’ and say consumers will discover the limits of such plans when they become sick.”

Robert Pear, “‘Short Term’ Health Insurance? Up to 3 Years Under New Trump Policy,” The New York Times online, August 1, 2018