Short-term insurance policies likely to cause long-term problems
The debate over short-term health insurance plans once again made headlines on Oct. 10, when the Trump administration’s Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance Final Rule withstood efforts by Senate Democrats to overturn.
The final rule increased the initial coverage period of short-term health insurance policies from three months to 364 days and allows these plans to be extended for an additional 36 months. In addition, these short-term plans are now being offered to small businesses that were struggling with increasingly high health-care costs.
While short-term policies will prove to be more economically viable for millions of Americans, they do so by reducing certain of the benefits outlined in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the ACA’s expansion of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which covers behavioral health treatments and services.
Furthermore, under the new rule, small businesses can legally exclude coverage for employee maternity care, prescription drugs, mental health and substance use disorder services, preventative and wellness services, chronic disease management and other “essential health benefits” that were required by the ACA.
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/411629-short-term-insurance-policies-likely-to-cause-long-term-problems
