BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

Trump signs executive order to expand alternative health plans

October 12, 2017 10:33 PM UTC

On Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order that is intended to expand access to health plans that are not required to provide prescription drug coverage or meet other minimum requirements specified in the Affordable Care Act. Trump said the order will provide lower cost alternatives to existing insurance plans, while critics warned that premiums for many Americans will increase as healthier individuals abandon traditional insurance plans.

The order directs the Secretary of Labor to consider enacting a broader interpretation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), which could potentially allow employers to form groups to provide healthcare coverage across state lines. In addition, the order directs the departments of Treasury, Labor, and Health and Human Services to consider expanding short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI), and to consider changes that would give employees incentives to use Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). ...