HHS may change age ratio, cut open enrollment in half for 2018
Major regulatory changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges and health insurance in general are being drafted by the Trump administration, according to POLITICO.
One part of the proposal would alter the age ratio of what insurers are allowed to charge older customers. Instead of limiting what older customers can pay to three times what is charged to younger customers, the rule would expand the ratio to 3.49:1.
Other changes would be lowering silver-level plan standards to cover as little as 66 percent of medical expenses (down from 68 percent), requiring proof of eligibility for special enrollment periods and limit the open enrollment from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, rather than ending at the current Jan. 31 deadline.
The two separate drafts of proposed rules obtained by POLITICO may be an effort to create stability for skeptical insurers who may exit the ACA marketplaces rather than submit rates to state regulators beginning in April.
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John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.