By Albert DiPiero MD MPH
The Washington Post, usually highly critical of the Trump administration’s actions in healthcare explains in this article that one of the administration’s key policies has not been the disaster predicted. The administration’s rule fostering “association health plans”, which allow small employers and self-employed individuals to band together to purchase health insurance outside of the ACA mandates, has helped more Americans get health insurance. After the announcement of new rules last year “health-care experts piled on with criticism, warning that it would lead to skimpy “junk” plans that do not cover all of the ACA’s essential health benefits.” Several recent reports, including by the CBO predict that these plans with result in insurance coverage for more than “1 million people annually who were previously uninsured.” It is still too early to determine the full effect of these plans within the complex dynamics of the insurance market. But innovation provides unexpected solutions. We have recently discussed previously the potential positive effects of increasing supply in healthcare and this is one positive example, for now.
Read WashPost: Experts hated this Trump health-care policy. So far, they’re wrong
Read CBO: How CBO and JCT Analyzed Coverage Effects of New Rules for Association Health Plans and Short-Term Plans