By Dick Morris
May 29, 2018 at 2:09pm
May 29, 2018 at 2:09pm
As
Maryland Insurance Commissioner Al Redmer said, Obamacare is in a “death
spiral” of fewer enrollees, more dropouts and higher premiums (huge increases
coming later this year).
One-third
of the people who enrolled in Obamacare in January 2015 dropped out by the end
of the year. The data for ensuing years will be worse.
Now,
President Donald Trump is considering — and will likely sign — new regulations
to offer a much lower-cost health insurance plan with excellent coverage.
These
short-term plans cost an average of $342/month vs. $619/month for basically the
same coverage under Obamacare.
They are
available for periods of one year, though they are renewable.
Obamacare
regulations require expensive polices covering every possible service, driving
up premiums.
Lacking
the 60 votes in the Senate to repeal those regulations requirement, Trump is
using the loophole of “short-term” plans to skirt them and lower costs. (You’ll
have to do without coverage for sex-change operations).
But,
there’s a huge catch that Trump is likely to remedy.
Currently,
short-term plans allow premiums to go up — even way up — when people get really
sick.
Department
of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar wants Trump to allow “renewal
guarantees” on short-term health policies, reversing the Obama rules that
prohibit them.
If Trump
goes ahead and follows Azar’s recommendation, these new health care policies
will provide a full range of benefits — including protection and no higher
premiums if you get sick — at about half the cost.
It would
be good if we repealed Obamacare.
That way
future presidents can’t spring this trap again on the American people.
But if
Trump approves Azar’s recommendation, Americans will be able to get good
insurance at affordable prices, the Obamacare goal that it never really met.
Trump is
going to keep Obama’s campaign promises for him!
Dick Morris is a former adviser to President Bill Clinton
as well as a political author, pollster and consultant. His most recent
book, “Rogue Spooks,” was written with his wife, Eileen McGann.
The views expressed in this opinion article are
solely those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed
by the owners of this website.
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