Donald Trump, frustrated with his inability to lead the GOP-controlled Congress to reform healthcare, today did exactly what he criticized President Obama for and signed an executive order circumventing the legislative process.
Trump's executive order will allow the sale of cheaper, less regulated policies with fewer benefits and fewer protections for consumers than those mandated under the Affordable Care Act.
In other words, this is basically the health insurance version of buying a Yugo.
From the New York Times:
Mr. Trump’s order could eventually make it easier for small businesses to band together and buy insurance through new entities known as association health plans, which could be created by business and professional groups. A White House official said these health plans “could potentially allow American employers to form groups across state lines” — a goal championed by Mr. Trump and many other Republicans.
[snip]
Consumer groups and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, representing state officials, have opposed association health plans because they could be largely exempt from state regulation.
Association health plans can “cherry-pick healthy groups,” making it more difficult for less healthy groups to find affordable coverage, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners told Congress this year.
Some state regulators and insurers greeted the move with alarm and warned that by relaxing standards for association health plans and short-term policies, Mr. Trump would create low-cost insurance options for the healthy, driving up costs for the sick and destabilizing insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act.
This will severely impact the LGBTQ community, especially those people with pre-existing conditions like HIV who won't be able to access these junk policies intended primarily for younger, healthier people.
In offering these cheaper policies health care insurance providers will have to raise the premiums on regular insurance policies.
"Within a year, this would kill the market," said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
.@POTUS' exec order couldn't be further from his "great health care" promise. It will up costs for seniors & ppl w/ preexisting conditions.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 12, 2017
Watch: Trump's executive order on health care is an attack on the middle class and on small businesses. https://t.co/HGyy0fSmmD
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) October 12, 2017
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