The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services has issued a final rule that allows for the sale of short-term health
insurance plans that span longer than the previous three-month maximum. Now,
short-term plans can span an initial period of less than 12 months and can be
extended for a maximum of 36 months. Short-term plans are not beholden to
federal regulations for health payer coverage. Because these plans will not be
held to federal regulations, they can exclude patients with pre-existing
conditions or deny certain types of coverage, like dental care, that are
protected in ACA-approved health plans. The availability and longer duration of
slimmed-down policies that do not provide comprehensive coverage has the potential
to harm consumers, both by making comprehensive coverage more expensive and by
leaving some consumers unaware of the risks of these policies.