The Trump administration is being sued by patient advocates and other healthcare groups over the decision to expand availability of short-term health plans that don’t ensure a full set of health benefits.
They filed their lawsuit on September 14 in Washington federal court. The lawsuit argues that the sale of health plans with least benefits undermines the ACA’s patient protections. This lawsuit accuses President Donald Trump’s Treasury, Labor and HHS secretaries of weakening Americans’ access to life saving medical care by allowing the short-term plans to bypass the ACA’s essential health benefits and pre-existing condition requirements.
The Trump administration issued final regulations for the short-term health plans in August. These rules fulfilled President Trump’s promise to loosen insurance rules that Republicans have been arguing that they would increase premiums for consumers who cannot get government subsidized coverage or an employee-sponsored health plan.
These new short-term plans span over less than a year. Extensions and renewals can last as long as three years, which depends on what the states decide. Earlier, short-term plans couldn’t last longer than three months.
But, HHS Alex Azar said that the plans will provide a much more affordable option for millions of people left out by the current system.