Keeping it Brief: Short-Term Limited Duration Plans
It’s been awhile since Congress has directly addressed the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA), but that does not mean the issue is dormant. Over the past 6 months, we have seen actions from the Executive Branch and Congress that will affect the way the ACA is enforced and implemented on both the federal and state levels.
Most recently, the Trump administration has proposed to expand the length of short-term limited duration (STLD) insurance plans. According to Kaiser Family Foundation,
These plans are exempt from many of the Affordable Care Act’s patient protections and are medically underwritten. This means you can be denied coverage under these plans for any pre-existing condition, including cancer. It also means that the plans are not required to cover essential health benefits, such as prescription drug benefits and preventative services like screening, and the plans can impose lifetime and annual limits on coverage. (Source: Feb. 8, 2018)
Due to the barebones nature of STLD plans, they cost considerably less and can be appealing to those who are eligible to buy them– namely, healthy people. This is problematic for three reasons:
- Those insured under these plans will find their actual coverage significantly lacking should they become ill.
- Consumers who buy short-term policies and subsequently develop health conditions could lose coverage when that policy expires.
- A recently-released report estimates that healthy people will leave the ACA marketplace to purchase these plans and could increase premiums for ACA-compliant plans by 10-12%.
What You Can Do
Fortunately, the Administration has asked the public to weigh in on this proposal. Fight CRC has signed onto letters along with our partners in the advocacy community on this issue and we will be submitting comments on the proposed rule.
You can do the same!
- Visit the public comment page
- Select “Comment Now” on the right side of the screen (comments are due by Apr 23 2018, at 11:59 PM ET)
- You can leave your comments (see below for a sample) and share your story
- After you’ve done that, send us an email or post in our Advocates Facebook Group to let us know you’ve submitted your comments so we can keep track
We know raising our voices makes a serious difference. We’ve seen the impact time and time again. We are all in this together, so help us raise the collective voice of the CRC community in opposition to short-term limited duration plans!
Sample Comments
If you plan to leave a comment, here’s a sample message:
Dear Administrator Verma,
On behalf of the colorectal cancer community, I ask you to rescind the proposed rule that would expand the availability of short-term limited duration insurance plans.
These plans are not required to have pre-existing condition exclusion protections, or essential health benefits and therefore, are inadequate to meet the needs of colorectal cancer patients. In fact, due to the medical underwriting inherent to these plans, most cancer patients could not even qualify for them. Even healthy individuals seeking preventative services such as colorectal cancer screening would find these plans woefully insufficient.
Furthermore, the short-term cost benefit of these plans is likely to entice healthy individuals away from ACA-compliant plans, causing premiums to rise for those who remain in the individual market. Colorectal cancer patients already face tremendous costs associated with treatment. Compounding those costs with rising premiums may cut off access to treatment for many individuals living with this disease.
I urge you to rescind the proposed rule and ensure that care remains affordable and accessible for all colorectal cancer patients.
Sincerely,
[your name]
About Advocacy at Fight CRC
As your boots on the ground in the nation’s capital, the Fight CRC advocacy team is here to give you a snapshot of the most recent action when it comes to our legislative goals and the issues we are monitoring. Working with our partners and coalition members, we stay up to date on the most recent policy changes that directly impact colorectal cancer patients so we can keep you informed, engaged, and ready to take action.
If you haven’t yet, register as an advocate and join our Advocates at Fight CRC Facebook group to keep up with the latest in our advocacy efforts.
The post Keeping it Brief: Short-Term Limited Duration Plans appeared first on Fight Colorectal Cancer.
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