Under the Obama administration, according to Slavitt, short-term limited-duration insurance policies were limited to 3 months' duration; under the EO, they are not—and they're also not subject to ACA requirements for essential benefits such as mental health coverage, maternity care and full prescription coverage; medical loss ratio requirements; or protections. People can be charged higher premiums or denied coverage for preexisting conditions.

The impact of the EO is likely to be rising premiums for exchange plans, an exodus of customers (at least healthy ones) from the exchanges to STLDI policies and destabilization of the marketplaces as insurers also exit.

Funds from "health reimbursement arrangements" will be able to be used for any medical expenses, another change from the ACA.

The EO also commissions a study of ways to limit consolidation within the insurance and hospital industries and directs agencies to find additional ways to boost competition and choice in health care to improve its quality and lower its cost.

According to the Washington Post, Dave Dillon, Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, said in a statement: "Healthier consumers will likely be able to enroll in plans with lower insurance rates, while more medically complex consumers may be subject to significant rate increases. Further, there will likely be an increase in solvency risk for association health plans, contributing to market instability."

Andrew Bremberg, director of the White House's Domestic Policy Council, was cited in the report saying that the president's order is merely the "beginning" of actions the administration intends to take unilaterally on the ACA.