President Donald Trump is getting ready to issue an executiveorder that could let people buy health insurance across state lines.
|Trump talked about that possibility Wednesday, during a pressconference at the White House.
|Related: 5 possible 2018 health insurance market systemscenarios
|Many health insurers already operate in multiple states, butthey have to get plans licensed in each plan in which they operate.Interstate health insurance sales proposals have come to be knownas "association health plan" proposals, because many supporters ofthe concept would implement it by letting multi-state associationsset up and run the multi-state plans.
|"I am considering an executive order on associations, and thatwill take care of a tremendous number of people with regard tohealth care," Trump said, according to a press conference transcript posted by the White House. "And I'llprobably be signing a very major executive order where people cango out, cross state lines, do lots of things, and buy their ownhealth care."
|The executive order is "being finished now," and "that will beprobably signed next week," Trump said.
|Many business groups and some health insurance agents andbrokers have been promoting interstate health insurance proposalsfor years.
|Many consumer groups and state insurance regulators have opposedthe proposals, arguing that they would cause the healthiest peopleto flock to plans from the states with the weakest consumerprotections, and drive up the cost of coverage in the states withtougher rules for health insurers.
|Trump did not talk about the mechanics of how the administrationcould permit interstate health coverage sales through an executiveorder.
|Trump also said he will negotiate with Democrats to see if it'spossible to come up with a bipartisan bill, but that he believesthat, by January or February, Republicans will have the votes topass a bill based on the proposals Republicans have been debatingin the Senate in recent weeks.
|"I feel we have the votes," Trump said. "I'm almost certain wehave the votes.... We'll vote in January, February orMarch."
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Allison Bell
Allison Bell, ThinkAdvisor's insurance editor, previously was LifeHealthPro's health insurance editor. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @Think_Allison.
