Kerby Anderson

The tax reform bill that Congress passed in December will remove the individual mandate to have a government-approved health insurance plan starting next year. Callers to my radio program wonder if that will allow them to buy a low-cost health insurance plan. That isn’t so easy to answer.

Dr. Merrill Matthews was on my radio program a few weeks ago and suggested to members of Congress how they could provide a clear answer. His recent article in The Hill provides a clear action plan for Congress.

There is a reason that insurance plans under ObamaCare were so expensive. In order to qualify under the federal guidelines, every plan had to include what were called “essential health benefits.” These mandated coverages and requirements made health insurance plans more expensive.

Now that the individual mandate is lifted, many Americans would like to buy a less expensive insurance policy. In fact, many would like to buy the policy they had before ObamaCare prohibited insurance companies from providing them. You may remember President Obama claimed that “if you like your health plan you can keep it.” Unfortunately, millions of Americans were not allowed to keep the policy they had before ObamaCare kicked in.

The solution is for Congress to allow insurance companies to offer nonqualified health insurance plans. In other words, allow them to offer plans that Americans had before ObamaCare disqualified them. Many callers complain that the policies they are forced to buy now are too expensive and have such high deductibles, that they are essentially useless to them.

Idaho recently announced that it would test the situation under the current law. It will allow insurers to offer comprehensive coverage outside the ObamaCare exchanges that does not include mandates. No doubt its decision will be challenged in the courts. That’s why Congress should clarify the current situation.