Dems to force vote on short-term plan expansion

Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, has introduced a measure to overturn an expansion put in place by the Trump administration of short-term health plans.

According to The Hill, although the likelihood of successfully killing off the expansion of what Democrats term “junk insurance plans”—because they don’t have to cover the 10 essentials required by the Affordable Care Act—is low, the objective is to force a vote on the record by Republicans on the plans.

Related: GOP abandonment of ACA a gift for Democrats?

Short-term plans, which originally were limited to three months’ duration, were expanded by the administration to last a year and allowed to be renewed for up to three years. However, an article in Modern Healthcare quotes Baldwin saying, “The Trump administration is…. moving forward on an expansion of junk insurance plans that can deny coverage to people with preexisting conditions and don’t have to cover essential services like prescription drugs, emergency room visits and maternity care.”

By filing a discharge petition, Baldwin will be employing “a procedural step that enables Congress to overturn administrative actions with a simple majority in two chambers,” says The Hill. Although it’s highly doubtful that the measure will pass, the action will highlight the limited nature of the plans—the expansion of which is opposed by insurers in ACA exchanges and some state insurance commissioners.

While the administration claims the plans provide a cheaper option for people who can’t, or don’t want to, purchase coverage via the ACA, they cover far less than ACA-compliant plans, and buyers may not realize that until they need care for something that’s not included. In addition, the pool of insureds will be stripped of younger and healthier purchasers of such plans, leaving older, less healthy individuals subject to higher premiums, as well as possibly destabilizing the market.

When announcing her petition, Baldwin cited a Los Angeles Times analysis that found criticism of the rule in 335 out of the 340 comments submitted by health care groups.

Also critical are the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and states that have already taken action to forestall the expansion themselves. Maryland and Washington have both proposed legislation that would limit enrollment to three months.

“President Trump’s latest act of sabotage will expand junk insurance plans that could increase costs and reduce access to quality coverage for millions, force premium increases on older Americans and harm people with pre-existing conditions,” Baldwin says. ”That’s why I am leading this effort in the U.S. Senate to take action and stop this sabotage.”