By Brian Blase |
The Hill March 18, 2021 |
Congressional Democrats and the Biden administration appear to be laying the groundwork to take health coverage away from millions of people. Next week, House Democrats are holding a hearing on programs by the Trump administration that expanded valuable options for health coverage. Restricting private options would be inconsistent with assurances from President Biden, who promised Americans during the campaign that “If you have private insurance, you can keep it.
This would be a repeat from last decade. After millions of people lost their coverage because the Affordable Care Act made their insurance illegal, PolitFact labeled President Obama’s assurance that people could keep their plans as 2013’s “Lie of the Year.”
At issue now are plans used by more than three million people in 2019. These policies, dubbed short-term plans, are not subject to the ACA’s mandates, and they help people who need more affordable and flexible coverage, such as middle-income families that lack employer coverage or workers in the gig economy.
Some Democrats call these “junk plans.” They aren’t. In addition to covering hospitalization, emergency care and doctors’ visits, many short-term plans also cover prescription drugs and mental health services. These plans pay providers better than ACA plans, so short-term plan enrollees have access to far more doctors and hospitals.
Read the full article at The Hill