A new study finds 3.2 million Americans will leave Obamacare for more affordable options thanks to president Trump's executive orders on health care.
Corbin Cooke at Core Benefits calls that a conservative estimate. He thinks the state of health care now will drive many more Americans to cheaper options.
“I've got families of three and four people paying $2,000 a month for a $6,000 deductible HMO plan that's an HSA, so they don't really get any effective benefits until they meet $6,000 individual or even $12,000 as a family,” he says.
Cooke supports the president's expansion of what's called Association Health Plans.
“A good example is the National Restaurant Association, and they have a plan discount that's available through a major carrier,” he says.
However, it's unclear right now what those AHPs will look like and who qualifies.
“They're not going just to take any and all comers, they're going to do some evaluation based on medical history and potentially pre-existing clauses, although at this point I do not think that's on the table,” says Cooke.
“So they'll evaluate the risk and be able to forecast a lower premium cost because they have a healthier population.”