While we wait to see what happens with the New Trump Administration’s plans to repeal and replace………….

In a recent field communication pertaining to Small Group renewals, UnitedHealthcare (UHC) announced that they were making provisions for small employers with non-ACA compliant plans to have the option to keep those plans in place beyond 2017. This “Keep Your Plan” option from UHC is contingent upon the Transitional Relief provision being extended again as expected.  Our guess is that some of other carriers in the Small Group market will follow suit.

The Transitional Relief provision was first enacted when the ACA went into full effect in 2014. Often referred to as the “Keep Your Plan” provision, this provision was extended twice after it first went into effect.  Under the last extension all plans not compliant with ACA were set to expire 12/31/2017.

In January, the new Trump Administration issued a memo “to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the [ACA] that would impose a…cost…or regulatory burden on individuals, families, [or]…purchasers of health insurance.” UHC’s move indicates they expect the new Administration to issue another “Keep Your Plan” extension and that the expiration date will be postponed for at least another year (through 2018) and perhaps indefinitely.

UHC indicated that the Transitional Relief notice applies to: Arizona, Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.

We’ll be following closely and will keep our clients, especially those who currently have Transitional Relief Plans, posted.

For more info click on the links below:

Trump Administration Aims to Reduce Regulatory Burden

Previous Extension of Transition Policy for Non-ACA Compliant Health Plans Issued 2_29_16