Short-term health plans, once largely banned by the ACA, have expanded under the Trump administration and brought with them familiar stories of patients being denied coverage because of preexisting conditions, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Four things to know:
1. Under the ACA, health insurers can't discriminate against members based on preexisting conditions. However, the short-term health plans don't have to comply with many of the ACA's consumer protection rules.
2. Former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones told the Los Angeles Times: "Unfortunately, companies are taking advantage of the fact that consumer protections required by the Affordable Care Act don't apply to these plans. The kind of things we are seeing with these short-term plans look like what we used to see across the board."
3. For example, the Los Angeles Times cited a story of a Montana man who purchased a short-term health plan he thought provided him full coverage. The man was denied care for testicular cancer. The plan eventually moved to drop his coverage due to a preexisting condition.
4. Lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration's short-term health plan regulation. The Trump administration has long said the rule will help increase Americans' health insurance options, especially for those facing high premiums and fewer plan options in the ACA individual market.