A national trade group of
66 safety-net plans recently failed to persuade a federal judge, by its
submission of some plan enrollment data, that the Trump administration's rule
promoting the sale of short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI) resulted in
their membership declines.
Yet the Association for
Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) says it is undaunted by Judge Richard Leon's
ruling to uphold regulations allowing the sale of non-Affordable Care Act
(ACA)-compliant short-term plans and confident of a successful appeal. The
ACAP-led lawsuit was filed last September.
Leon, of the U.S.
District Court for the District of Columbia concluded there was no
"regulatory power grab" and no indication from evidence submitted by
ACAP that the STLDI rule would result in a "substantial exodus" from
individual-market exchanges that would "threaten the ACA's structural
core."
ACAP CEO Meg Murray
responded to the ruling in a statement, saying her group remains firm in its
contention the Trump administration’s decision "to expand dramatically the
sale of junk insurance violates the Affordable Care Act and is arbitrary and
capricious."
A Houston-based ACAP
member plan tells AIS Health that short-term plans are indeed wreaking havoc.
"In Texas alone,
premiums for individual coverage have risen 20% since the introduction of
expanded duration STLDI," said Catherine Mitchell, executive vice
president and chief operating officer for nonprofit insurer Community Health
Choice. "Carriers aren't required to share enrollment figures for STLDI,
but Urban Institute estimates more than 420,000 Texans currently have these
plans….In a state where ACA plans cover approximately 1 million lives, STLDI is
distorting the risk pool by cherry picking who and what they cover."
From Health Plan Weekly
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