The short-term, limited-duration health plans are essentially a sidestep of required health benefits and consumer insurance protections built into the sprawling 2010 health care law that is at the core of President Barack Obama’s domestic policy legacy. ADThe health plans at issue in Friday’s circuit court ruling were originally intended as a bridge for people between jobs or with other needs for brief coverage. Near the end of the Obama administration, these short-term plans were limited to three months, out of concern they might siphon customers from ACA marketplaces. The ruling says Congress has not precluded HHS or other departments from deciding how long such short-term health plans should last. In 2018, Arkansas became the first to impose such rules, and about 18,000 residents lost coverage before a lower court judge invalidated the program in March 2019.

Source: Washington Post July 17, 2020 23:32 UTC