Hailing Better Coverage for Workers, Keep US Covered Celebrates President Biden Action to Rein in Junk Insurance
Rolling back junk insurance plans was a top priority of KUC from its founding; KUC calls for the President to tackle ICHRAs next
Friday, July 7, 2023
Washington, D.C. – Today, Sonja Nesbit, Senior Advisor to Keep US Covered, released the following statement after the White House announced executive action to roll back the unnecessary expansion of Short-Term Limited Duration Health Insurance (STLDI), also known as junk insurance:
“Today, our health care system is stronger and American families can have more confidence in their coverage. On behalf of our partners, we thank President Biden for taking action to end this Trump-era rule that boosted junk insurance. The expansion of short-term coverage flooded the market with low-quality insurance plans that skirt patient protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and leave Americans underinsured and vulnerable to huge medical bills. President Biden has made significant progress to improve health equity with this decision.
“Today’s action is worth celebrating, but President Biden shouldn’t stop at junk insurance. To continue advancing his health agenda and further reduce disparities, he should also roll back the Trump-era Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA) system which allows discrimination in the workplace, risks damage to the ACA marketplace and weakens workers’ coverage options. We applaud the President for his action today and urge him to keep the momentum going by eliminating ICHRAs.”
To learn more about KUC and its partners’ work to educate policymakers on ICHRAs, STLDI, and the social determinants of health, visit KeepUSCovered.org or follow the campaign on Twitter and Facebook.
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About Keep US Covered: Keep US Covered is a campaign committed to protecting and expanding quality health coverage and improving care for working Americans. Vast disparities in the American health care system continue to undermine access to quality care for too many. Our mission is to promote public policy changes that preserve equity in workplace health benefits and ensure health coverage delivers for people when they need it, beginning with the reversal of harmful and potentially discriminatory policies put in place during the previous administration, including Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) and the dramatic expansion of short-term limited duration insurance (STLDI). We also seek to broaden our national health care conversation to better account for the many factors that lead to health disparities. By reversing policies that threaten to disrupt coverage for working people and focusing on the societal challenges that impact health, we can make our health care system stronger for all Americans.