Attorney General Curtis Hill has joined a 16-state coalition supporting a Trump administration policy enabling self-employed people and those working for small businesses to participate in Association Health Plans (AHPs). Following an executive order by President Trump, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized the AHP rule in the summer of 2018.
AHPs provide access to quality, affordable health coverage to segments of the population that otherwise find it difficult to obtain such coverage. Earlier this year, however, a federal district court stated that aspects of the Department of Labor’s rule were unlawful.
This month, Attorney General Hill joined 13 other attorneys general and two governors expressing disagreement with that decision in an amicus brief filed with a federal appellate court in Washington D.C.
The Congressional Budget Office has forecast that 4 million Americans — including 400,000 who are currently uninsured — will now enroll in AHPs to obtain insurance as a result of the new rule. Through AHPs, individuals can purchase insurance through the large-group market rather than the much more expensive small-group market.