The Trump administration took the final step Tuesday in its plan aimed at making health insurance policies cheaper for some small businesses, CNN reports. The administration released its final rule governing association health plans, which allow small businesses and the self-employed to band together based on their industry or location and buy health insurance. The rule stems from an executive order that Trump signed in October aimed at providing alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, which it is bent on dismantling.
The rule allows association health plans to be regulated in the same way as large employer policies. That would free them from having to adhere to some of Obamacare’s rules, particularly the one requiring insurers to offer comprehensive coverage. Plans can start being offered as soon as September 1. These plans would likely have lower premiums, but they would also provide fewer benefits. The proposed regulation would allow associations to base an employer’s rates on the gender, age and industry of its workers. Read more at CNN.
{Matzav.com}
