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The Trump administration's efforts to expand short-term insurance plans could lead to significant premium hikes for Affordable Care Act exchange plans, a new analysis suggests.
The Urban Institute estimates that premiums for 2019 ACA plans could jump by 18.2% on average in the 43 states that allow or do not limit short-term plans. The report estimates that 2.5 million people would leave the ACA exchanges for the less comprehensive short-term plans, which are not required to meet ACA standards such as essential health benefits coverage.
The Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule last week that would expand the coverage window for these short-term plans to 12 months. The Obama administration limited their duration to three months.
Expanding short-term insurance plans is among a number of policy changes detailed in an executive order President Donald Trump signed in October. The Department of...