Judge Appears Hesitant To Block Short-Term ‘Junk Insurance’ Plans Because Congress Didn’t Limit Them In Health Law
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said during Tuesday’s hearing that he hopes to make a decision “hopefully this summer” about whether to require a full trial but would not give an exact date.
CQ:
Federal Judge Remains Skeptical Of Short-Term Plans Lawsuit
A federal district court judge seemed skeptical Tuesday during a hearing to determine whether a challenge to a Trump administration rule expanding short-term plans merits a full trial. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon of the D.C. Circuit wondered if it was too premature to make a decision on stopping the rule. “Why wouldn’t it make more sense for this to play out for a year or two?” he said. (Raman, 5/21)
Modern Healthcare:
Federal Judge Signals Reluctance To Block Short-Term Plans
A federal judge on Tuesday indicated he wasn't willing to block the Trump administration's rule expanding access to short-term, limited-duration health plans since Congress didn't limit them in the Affordable Care Act or in the six years after its passage. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon heard a second round of arguments in the lawsuit over the Trump administration's reversal of the Obama administration's cap on short-term plans. (Luthi, 5/21)
In other health law news —
Kaiser Health News:
Did The ACA Create Preexisting Condition Protections For People In Employer Plans?
During a recent appearance on MSNBC, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) answered questions from “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski about the latest lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. “The most important part of Obamacare, as you know, Mika, is the protection against preexisting condition discrimination that extended to more than 150 million Americans, folks who get their health insurance through their employer,” he said. (Rovner, 5/21)
