Melissa S. Razdrih
Sen. Marco Rubio is praising the Donald Trump administration for its approach to health care.
In a recent move to close the health care gap, Trump made a rule that allows small employers to offer flexible coverage options using Healthcare Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs).
HRAs typically cost less for employers than group plans, and for that reason, the addition of HRAs to the health care ecosystem could result in 11 million workers seeking coverage from them.
Trump’s philosophy on HRAs counters that of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which put emphasis on small employers offering certain types of plans via a tax credit incentive, but didn’t require small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to offer health care options to them.
The result left many people employed by small companies to find their own insurance through the marketplace or other means, that weren’t necessarily affordable.
Last week, Rubio applauded Trump’s move to add HRA options for small businesses to offer their employees.
In a statement, he said, “President Trump’s actions will help millions of hardworking Americans have greater access to affordable health care coverage that best meets their needs. After the previous administration’s misguided policies stopped workers from using HRAs to purchase coverage, millions of Americans will once again be able to use employer-funded HRAs to pay for health insurance and out-of-pocket expenses.”
Over the last decade, employment at businesses with fewer than 50 employees has fallen 25 percent. Rubio hopes Trump’s new rule will help 800,000 small companies in the U.S. build their workforce by offering affordable health care options.
Rubio wasn’t the only one to praise Trump’s efforts, in true Trumpian fashion Trump, himself, praised the rule, saying in a statement reported by Sinclair Broadcast Group, “This announcement is a monumental victory for small businesses, for their workers and previously uninsured Americans who will now have access to high-quality health plans of their choice.”
