June 16, 2019
Attorney General Curtis Hill has joined a 16-state coalition supporting a Trump administration policy enabling self-employed people and those working for small businesses to participate in Association Health Plans (AHPs). Following an executive order by President Trump, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized the AHP rule in the summer of 2018.
AHPs provide access to quality, affordable health coverage to segments of the population that otherwise find it difficult to obtain such coverage. Earlier this year, however, a federal district court stated that aspects of the Department of Labor’s rule were unlawful.
This month, Attorney General Hill joined 13 other attorneys general and two governors expressing disagreement with that decision in an amicus brief filed with a federal appellate court in Washington D.C.
“The Department of Labor has followed the law in its efforts to promote affordability, choice, freedom and quality healthcare,” Attorney General Hill said. “The district court’s finding to the contrary should be reversed.”
The Congressional Budget Office has forecast that 4 million Americans — including 400,000 who are currently uninsured — will now enroll in AHPs to obtain insurance as a result of the new rule. Through AHPs, individuals can purchase insurance through the large-group market rather than the much more expensive small-group market.
“Leaders at all levels must promote innovative reform efforts by both the federal and state governments,” Attorney General Hill said. “At the federal level, several of the most encouraging reforms have occurred through regulatory rulemaking authority exercised by the Trump administration, such as the rule at issue here.”