Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) November 13, 2018
REPUBLICANS have
been attacked as do-nothings on health care, largely because they failed to
repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Yet actions quietly taken by the
Trump administration appear to be creating significant benefit for millions.
In October 2017,
President Trump signed an executive order making it easier for small employers
to band together to provide insurance to employees via association health
plans. This year marks the first time strengthened AHPs have been offered, and
the early signs are encouraging.
Proponents said
AHPs would lower insurance costs. Democrats derided the plans as
"junk" coverage because AHPs aren't subject to all federal mandates
imposed on policies offered through Obamacare exchanges.
Yet the AHP offered
by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, available to businesses with two to 50
employees, includes a "wide selection of flexible plans to choose from,
including medical, dental and vision ..." The medical plans include
several options with a range of deductibles and copays. The State Chamber is
offering similar AHP benefits to small businesses.
Critics complain
AHPs may not cover those with pre-existing conditions. But the nine plan
choices offered through the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce's AHP include
people with pre-existing conditions and lock in premium rates for two years.
Land O'Lakes has launched an AHP to serve farmers in its network in Minnesota
and Nebraska; that plan includes coverage for those with pre-existing
conditions as well as the 10 "essential" health benefits mandated for
policies sold through Obamacare exchanges.
That said, the
population of those with pre-existing conditions who lack insurance has been
wildly inflated by some activists and that problem is minor. When the
Affordable Care Act was approved, it included a transitional high-risk pool to
cover anyone with pre-existing conditions who lacked insurance. Just 115,000 of
300 million people nationwide ever accessed that pool.
For most, the
appeal of AHPs is they allow small-business owners and their employees to
access affordable health insurance that's unavailable in many instances.
Because AHPs pool employees from many businesses, a larger base of
policyholders is created, which spreads risk and reduces premiums.
The Congressional
Budget Office has estimated up to 4 million people will receive coverage
through AHPs by 2023. About 400,000 of those individuals might have otherwise
gone without coverage despite the Affordable Care Act. The cost of individual
policies on Obamacare exchanges has skyrocketed, and many sole proprietors
(such as farmers) earn too much to qualify for federal subsidies to offset
those high prices.
Keep in mind,
Obamacare exchange policies often involve large deductibles and copays and
limited provider networks, another contrast with many new AHPs. That's why it's
believed many individuals who previously received subsidies to buy Obamacare
policies will now forgo them to instead obtain the more affordable and
desirable coverage offered through AHPs.
Rather than having
the government force consumers to buy certain policies, AHPs will have to gain
business by appealing to customers with price and quality. That's a welcome and
overdue move.
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