Posted on 10/12/2017 9:40:13 AM PDT by Kaslin
In an op-ed penned for Breitbart, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained that President Donald Trump's upcoming executive order--which would legalize the sale of health insurance across state lines--would come at zero cost for the taxpayer and would enable 28 million people "left behind" by Obamacare to purchase insurance cheaply.
According to Paul, the executive order will create "Health Associations," which would allow people to create groups similar to large corporations in order to get lower premiums on their plans. Paul said that these Association Health Plans will "be among the biggest-free market reforms" of the healthcare industry in decades, and is a better alternative than repealing the bill outright. Paul called Trump "bold" in making these changes, and said that he worked with Trump for a long time to create this executive order.
From Breitbart:
How will it work? Well, nationwide associations like the National Restaurant Association will be allowed to form groups across state lines and, with the leverage of size, demand Big Insurance bring down their outrageous premiums.
Many of the 28 million people left behind by Obamacare who still don’t have insurance work low-wage jobs in our fast food restaurants. The President’s decision today will allow workers from two million restaurants to come together to form a buying group and through sheer size get cheaper and better insurance.
Millions of people will be eligible for the same group insurance that big corporations offer. In fact, Health Associations may grow to be larger than the largest of our corporations. Currently, about half of private insurance is cross-state, self-insured ERISA plans, and most employees love them. The President’s action today will allow the millions of people in the individual market an escape route to group insurance.
Association Health Plans will be among the biggest free-market reforms of health care in a generation, and it will do more to counter the impact of Obamacare than most of the repeal bills did, because it will actually go after regulations that the legislation didn’t touch due to Senate rules.
Existing law allows the President to legalize these new groups and plans. Where previous administrations have been weak, President Trump is bold to allow this reform.
Additionally, Paul explains that these new "Health Associations" are cross-state entities that are exempt from some of the costly state and federal regulations other plans face. Pre-existing conditions are not a disqualifier from the plan, either. Paul supports this plan as it is not a mandate, subsidy, or tax, but rather is a removal of regulations and other barriers.
Trump is scheduled to make his announcement regarding the executive order shortly.
Certainly better than paying a fine and still having no insurance. But you should change the eligibility requirement for handouts at the same time.
Lots of stuff should happen but Trump is doing what he can to fight the single-payer meme by endorsing healthy Capitalism. He works tirelessly even when his “supporters” decide he isn’t doing enough - which is tripe because he is hampered by the GOPe/RINOs/Courts at every turn.
This is a business decision, typical supply and demand philosophy. Expand and enable the buying base while removing artificial restrictions on businesses to deal with them.
In England Rand Paul is doing the equivalent of flipping the bird in the picture associated with the article. Coincidence????
Bump; for later!
As I understand it, the insurance lobby was against these measures, perhaps why Ryan and his ilk made no mention in the House legislation. The GOPe is owned by insurance companies, which may explain why the GOPe has been lying about repeal and replace for years.
This merely enforces a pre-existing law by interpreting groups in a much broader way.
ERISA plans are exempt from state law. Generally, they use a network like PHCS.
They tend to be the more difficult payers, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They also can be expensive and have large deductibles so how someone working in fast food will afford it will be interesting.
Also, organizing low-paid workers at the level Paul is talking about is really just a short-step from unionization - as for years, the majority of ERISA plans were Union plans.
I trust Rand Paul on this issue. He is an MD who wants to help patients. He seems to be against the big insurance companies.
I can’t wait for the various Democratic State Attorneys General to sue in federal court that the Trump Health Care Executive Order is counter to the Constitution and State’s rights to regulate health insurance through State Insurance Commissions.
Oh this is so predictable and going to be so much fun.
Obama screwed them on the guaranteed profits, so they want that part fixed.
The timing was perfect as well, because there is time to get these policies in the hands of consumers for 2018.
This merely enforces a pre-existing law by interpreting groups in a much broader way.
Guess Nancy Pelosi and her buddies should have read ObamaCare before they passed it so they would not have to find out what was in it after they passed it.
Makes me wonder if church affiliated groups (Knights of Columbus, B’nai Brith, etc.) will now hop into this market. The KofC might do as well as they do selling life insurance.
Rand Paul has never sold individual nor group health insurance. Association work for cancer and accident policies.
President Trump and Senator Paul make a good team.
How will vindictive McCain feel about a victory for his two most hated foes?
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