Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) told Breitbart News in an exclusive comment that President Joe Biden’s move to ax short-term health insurance plans is part of Biden’s scheme to force everyone into Obamacare.
Good spoke to Breitbart News as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule that would drastically limit Americans’ ability to hold a short-term, limited-duration health insurance plan. The Biden rule, if implemented, would limit the contract length for the plan to three months, make the maximum coverage four months, and prevent Americans from “stacking” these plans together to serve as a longer-term health insurance option.
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., speaks during a House Committee on the Budget hearing on the President’s fiscal year 2023 budget, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Washington (Roberto Schmidt/Pool Photo via AP).
President Donald Trump expanded short-term plans through executive orders in 2017, allowing the coverage to extend to one year and the plans to be renewed for up to three years.
Short-term plans often cost less than Obamacare plans because they do not have to comply with all of Obamacare’s insurance regulations, also known as Essential Health Benefits (EHBs). Some health insurers will not cover Americans with preexisting conditions.
Democrats often refer to short-term plans as “junk” plans because they often do not cover as many services, whereas Obamacare plans will cover more services while having higher deductibles, copays, and premiums.
Americans thinking about purchasing short-term health insurance will often pay a lower average monthly premium, although they will likely have a relatively high deductible, meaning they will spend more out-of-pocket when visiting the doctor.
Health experts have often referred to short-term plans as a “lifeboat enabling them to escape Obamacare’s sinking ship.”
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Good, a Freedom Caucus member and member of the Education Committee, told Breitbart News, “The Democrats won’t stop until they force everyone onto government-run health care. The latest plan from the Biden regime reduces options for patients and forces them onto Obamacare, even if it drives medical prices through the roof. Rather than respect Americans’ freedom to choose the best health care for themselves and their families, President Biden wants to shove his socialist plans down their throats.”
Brian Blase, a former Trump White House senior official, said, according to Biden’s rule proposal, it will “increase premiums, increase the number of the uninsured, increase health care spending, and burden states”:
BREAKING: According to @POTUS new rule restricting short-term health plans, it will increase premiums, increase the number of the uninsured, increase health care spending, and burden states. @mfcannon @kerpen @philipaklein @DeanClancy @CPopeHC @theomerkel @greg_fann @MartyMakary
— Brian Blase (@brian_blase) July 7, 2023
Michael Cannon, a health expert at the CATO Institute, suggested that the Biden rule may face a legal challenge:
How do you propose a rule that the D.C. Circuit already says you don’t have the authority to implement, @neeratanden?
— Michael F. Cannon 🇮🇪🇺🇸 (@mfcannon) July 8, 2023
The @WSJ on @POTUS @JoeBiden’s proposal to throw sick #STLDI enrollees out of their health plans and leave them uninsured: https://t.co/wHnqzoSLiv #CatoHealth pic.twitter.com/Hm4bCkJPoM
While Biden moved to eliminate healthcare options for Americans, House Republicans passed the CHOICE Arrangements Act, which would increase employers’ ability to offer their workers health insurance and allow Americans to bring their health insurance to a new job.
During a House Rules Committee hearing on the bill, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) accused Republicans of chipping away at Obamacare with H.R. 3799:
HouseRules / YouTubeSean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
