Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, along with Attorneys General from California, Massachusetts, and 16 other states, called on Mar. 13 for the Trump Administration to withdraw a proposed payment rule that would affect health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace exchanges.
The group argues that the proposed rule could significantly increase costs for families and reduce access to affordable health care. The changes would raise maximum out-of-pocket expenses for catastrophic plans to $31,200 per family and could result in up to two million more Americans losing their health insurance.
Governor Mikie Sherrill said, “Instead of lowering health insurance costs and widening access to high-quality health care, the Trump Administration’s big idea is to expand access to skimpy plans that cost more—shockingly more—and give you less for your money.” Sherrill also referenced previous decisions by President Trump that led nearly 500,000 New Jersey residents to see their premiums triple and caused 300,000 people in the state to lose Medicaid coverage. Attorney General Davenport said, “The proposed rule creates a health care regime that is unaffordable for most everyday New Jerseyans, creates a byzantine process for enrolling in health insurance, and imposes costly burdens on the states to comply with new requirements.”
Susan Ochs, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance, said the rule would destabilize New Jersey’s State-based Health Insurance Marketplace. Dr. Raynard E. Washington, Acting Commissioner of Health, added that “the proposed rules would make the situation worse, making people less healthy, driving up health care costs and medical debt, and pushing patients off of health insurance.”
The proposal includes several provisions such as eliminating standardized plans in favor of non-network options likely to confuse consumers; removing adult dental coverage without required reporting; ending special enrollment periods for low-income individuals; expanding catastrophic plans beyond their original intent; introducing multi-year catastrophic plans with different out-of-pocket limits based on disease; and including previously stayed provisions from last year’s Marketplace Integrity and Affordability Rule.
According to the official website, the New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin aims to protect residents’ lives and property while providing legal support statewide according to its official website. The office extends its authority throughout all counties in New Jersey according to its official website and influences public safety through law enforcement oversight according to its official website. It holds statewide authority over law enforcement matters according to its official website, offers services such as crime lab support and consumer protection initiatives according to its official website, and functions as a state agency focused on justice across New Jersey according to its official website.
The letter opposing these changes was signed by Attorneys General from Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington State and Wisconsin. The officials argue that if enacted as written these rules could destabilize ACA marketplaces nationwide.
