Trump's Budget Bill Threatens States' ACA Coverage Progress

Various provisions in President Donald Trump's budget reconciliation bill threaten to undermine the strides that states have made in recent years to increase health insurance coverage for residents under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Shorter enrollment periods, more documentation requirements, no automatic reenrollment, and higher premiums are likely to affect consumers.

Analysts expect that these changes will hit particularly hard in the 19 states and Washington, D.C., that operate their own ACA exchanges. In those states, a greater percentage of residents rollover their coverage through automatic reenrollment instead of shopping for a new plan, which is more common in those states that use the federal marketplace at healthcare.gov.