Trending News Today: Legislators Work to Ease Cost Impact of Sickest Patients

The Trump administration and a few states are taking action to ease the burden of sick patients on insurers. Health experts say that implementing reinsurance programs would keep premiums affordable for 2018. This practice ensures that the federal government is responsible for claims above a certain threshold, which allows insurers to reduce risks and set lower premiums, according to Kaiser Health News. While only a handful of states have set up the programs, the Department of Health and Human Services has encouraged all states to participate.

A new study suggests that switching chronically-ill children from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans may significantly increase out-of-pocket costs, according to Kaiser Health News. CHIP covers children whose families’ incomes are low but do not qualify for Medicaid, and provides care for little to no out-of-pocket costs. Since these children often rely on specialists and costly medications, they are at risk of poor outcomes if their ACA plan is less inclusive than CHIP.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump promised that a drafted healthcare reform plan will cause premiums to plummet and result in “real healthcare,” Politico reported. The newly-revised healthcare bill is slated to appear in Congress for debate as soon as this week. The plan has yet to be publically proposed and has not received a score from the Congressional Budget Office, according to the article.