And If Ongoing Congressional Threats to the ACA Weren’t Enough…

The Trump Administration is proposing to gut standards for coverage of health benefits in the individual insurance market. In late October, the Administration released their proposed 2019 “payment notice” that includes changes in rules governing the marketplaces and health insurance markets. NoHLA and other advocates submitted comments objecting to many of the proposed changes, especially the Essential Health Benefits (EHBs) standard. The revised rules would lower the required level of covered services to create skinnier benefit packages, leaving many consumers without access to the health care they need. HHS anticipates that the creation of new benchmark options will reduce premiums. But this will increase costs for consumers relying on services that are no longer covered, or force them to forgo the care they need. This approach will also drive up medical debt and health-related bankruptcies, both of which have dropped significantly since the introduction of the ACA.