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U.S. NEWS Thursday 14 June 2018

Worker protections seen at risk in Trump health care shift

By RICARDO ALONSO- consequences of moving insurance,” Azar said.
ZALDIVAR against one provision of a “The president has always
Associated Press health law that has many shared that and we look
WASHINGTON (AP) — The complicated interlocking forward to working with
Trump administration’s lat- parts. “The lack of care on Congress under all circum-
est move against “Obam- the brief is jaw-dropping,” stances towards achieving
acare” could jeopardize said Bagley, who supports that.”
legal protections on pre- the Obama health law Nearly 160 million workers
existing medical conditions but considers himself a and family members have
for millions of people with “free agent” critic of both coverage through employ-
employer coverage, par- sides. “There is no question ers, although the number
ticularly workers in small that the Trump adminis- covered by small employ-
businesses, say law and in- tration has to clarify what ers is much smaller.
surance experts. the scope of its injunction A health policy expert with
At issue is Attorney Gen- would be and grapple with a business organization
eral Jeff Sessions’ recent the consequences of mow- that represents large em- This May 21, 2018 image shows the main page of the healthcare.
decision that the Justice ing down parts of the ACA. ployers said he doubted gov website in Washington.
Department will no longer “For someone with a pre- there would be much of an Associated Press
defend key parts of the existing condition thinking impact on major compa- less of health issues. Industry Committee, as the
Obama-era Affordable about switching jobs, the nies, which are better able “There will not be a change group is known. ERISA is the
Care Act in court. That in- answer to the question to pool risk and have long with anyone who is with a name of a federal law that
cludes the law’s unpopular could make a life-chang- been accustomed to cov- very large employer,” said governs employee benefits
requirement to carry health ing difference,” added ering all employees regard- James Gelfand of the ERISA for big companies.q
insurance, but also widely Bagley. Both Bagley and
supported provisions that Levitt said their questions
protect people with pre- about the administration’s
existing medical conditions intentions arose from lan-
and limit what insurers can guage in the Justice De-
charge older, sicker cus- partment brief that specifi-
tomers. Two independent cally singles out sections of
experts said Wednesday the health law that apply to
that the administration employer plans. The ACA
appears to be taking aim strengthened previous pro-
at provisions of the ACA tections already in federal
that protect people in em- law that limited the circum-
ployer plans, not only the stances and length of time
smaller pool of consumers under which an employer
who buy a policy directly could exclude coverage
from an insurer. The new for a worker’s pre-existing
Trump administration posi- health problems.
tion was outlined last week The Trump administration
in a legal brief filed by the had no immediate rebuttal
Justice Department in a to the issues raised by the
Texas case challenging the two experts.
Obama health law. Instead, the Health and Hu-
Workers “could face the man Services Department
prospect of insurance that pointed to comments earli-
doesn’t cover their pre-ex- er in the week by Secretary
isting conditions when they Alex Azar, who told sena-
enroll in a plan with a new tors that the Justice Depart-
employer,” said Larry Levitt ment brief was a legal and
of the nonpartisan Kaiser constitutional argument,
Family Foundation. not a policy statement.
University of Michigan law “We share the view of
professor Nicholas Bagley working to ensure that in-
said the administration dividuals with pre-existing
does not appear to have conditions can have ac-
thought through all the cess to affordable health