Illinois consumers will be able to use controversial, short-term health insurance plans for only about 6 months at a time now that the state legislature has voted to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of a bill that sets that limit.
Dozens of Illinois consumer advocacy groups had supported the original bill, which took aim at a recent Trump administration change to the rules surrounding short-term plans. Such plans are generally cheaper than traditional health insurance but cover fewer services.
The plans were meant to serve as a stopgap for consumers between health insurance plans. But new federal rules allow them to be used for a year and be renewed for as long as 3 years.
The Trump administration has said the rule change was meant to help more people get affordable coverage.
Rauner used his amendatory veto power to rewrite parts of the bill, saying the bill would create “barriers to Illinoisans’ access to the health care plans that best fit their needs.”
Many consumer advocates, however, have decried the Trump administration’s expansion of short-term plans, calling the coverage “junk” insurance. They’ve worried that consumers who buy the plans will be left in a lurch when they need care that often isn’t covered, such as for pre-existing conditions, mental health and prescriptions.
02-Pol,15-Health,19-Legal,26-Delivered,E Lazare Team
Region: Northern,News,City: Sterling,Region: Sauk Valley
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November 28, 2018 at 01:25AM
Illinois Delivered 