Feds propose allowing ACA plans with lower premiums, much higher deductibles

The Trump administration’s proposed new rules for Affordable Care Act plans next year would shift more health care costs to Americans, with much higher deductibles that could lead to larger medical bills (Source: “New A.C.A. Plans Could Increase Family Deductibles to $31,000,” New York Times, Feb. 26).
 
Under the proposal, people who rely on the ACA for their health insurance coverage could choose plans with much lower monthly premiums but much higher deductibles. This comes after the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies led to more than 1 million Americans dropping coverage earlier this year.
 
The new proposal would allow one kind of health plan to raise the annual deductible to more than $15,000 for an individual and $31,000 for a family; those are much higher than current ACA plans. The individual deductible would be eight times the average for someone with job-based insurance.
 
HPIO recently released a policy explainer on changes to the federal health insurance marketplace.