The Trump administration is trying to make it easier for states to undermine Obamacare on their own, and it could reshape the US healthcare landscape

pulse

October 22, 2018 6:30 PM

Trump's Department of Health and Human Services and Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services released new guidance for Section 1332 waivers, which allows states to make adjustments to their healthcare systems. According to experts, the changes could undermine some of Obamacare's protections.

reshape the healthcare system

The Trump administration on Monday released new rules that could allow states to offer less generous health insurance plans through their Obamacare markets to drive down costs for consumers. But health policy experts warned that the changes could help undermine some of Obamacare's key protections.

The Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services issued new guidance on the use of the Affordable Care Act's Section 1332 waivers that would give state governments more flexibility in offering plans that do not comply with the ACA's basic coverage requirements.

According to health policy experts, the guidance would make it easier for states to undermine key parts of Obamacare and weaken protections for sicker Americans.

Since the failure of the GOP's Obamacare repeal and replace efforts in 2017, the waivers have become a key approach in the Trump administration's attempts to roll back parts of the ACA.

Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, said the new waiver guidance is further evidence that the Trump administration is attempting to chip away at the ACA.

Only eight Section 1332 waivers have been approved by the federal government, and most have focused on supporting the current Obamacare market through reinsurance programs — rather than offering alternative plans. But Levitt said the new rules could change that.

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