Health Care Insurance : Background, Coverage and Rising Costs

On October 12, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13813, entitled "Promoting Healthcare Choice and Competition Across the United States." E.O. 13813 generally aims "to facilitate the purchase of insurance across state lines and the development and operation of a healthcare system that provides high-quality care at affordable prices for the American people." Chapter 1 answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about E.O. 13813 and subsequent rulemaking and provides background information about AHPs, STLDI, and HRAs. The individual insurance market is 18 million Americans. It is those Americans who are getting hammered the most by the higher premiums and the higher co-pays and deductibles. Chapter 2 focuses on addressing high-cost individuals through reinsurance; continuing the cost-sharing reduction payments; and third, more flexibility for States. Enrollment in private health insurance plans continued to be concentrated among a small number of issuers. A highly concentrated health insurance market may indicate less competition and could affect consumers'' choice of issuers and the premiums they pay. Chapter 3 describes changes in the concentration of enrollment among issuers in overall individual, small group, and large group markets, and individual and small group exchanges. A majority of Americans have health insurance from the private health insurance (PHI) market. The first part of chapter 4 provides background information about health plans sold in the PHI market and briefly describes state and federal regulation of private plans. The second part summarizes selected federal requirements and indicates each requirement''s applicability to one or more of the following types of private health plans: individual, small group, large group, and self-insured.