Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

Idaho 'Pushing Envelope' With Health Insurance Plan: How Far Can It Go?

NPR: For the past year, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have led a charge to roll back the Affordable Care Act, signaling an openness to changes at the state level.

Now, Idaho has jumped in, with the insurance department saying Wednesday it will allow insurers to ignore some ACA rules on plans not sold on the marketplace. The department aims to make these state-based plans less costly. Several of the changes are viewed by the health law's supporters as hits to its core consumer protections.

Critics say Idaho can't unilaterally skip provisions of federal law, including some of the ACA's protections for pre-existing conditions and its limits on how much more insurers can charge older or sick people.

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