SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is the latest to join a 12-state coalition filing an expedited judgment in an effort to block the Trump administration's rule that would allow nationwide employers to group together in Association Health Plans (AHPs).
The attorneys general argue that the U.S. Department of Labor's rule will take away critical health care protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The rule would allow the offering of "junk health plans" and permit insurers to discriminate based on health status, age or gender as well as raise premiums and increase fraud, according to the attorneys general.
“Trump’s efforts to force working families into junk health plans need to be stopped,” Becerra said in a statement. “Rather than taking concrete steps to make health care more affordable and effective, the president is doing all he can to make America uninsured and unhealthy again. We will continue using every tool at our disposal to fight for universal, quality health care.”
The coalition's legal efforts stem from an October 2017 executive order that directed the federal government to propose regulations to expand AHPs, a move the attorneys general say will put consumers at risk and deny health care while driving up the cost of coverage.