Dems ask Trump admin to keep young people's health costs high

From thehill.com (edited to show the perspective of a less powerful demographic group) 

Senate Democrats are urging the Trump administration not to move forward with changes to ObamaCare that could lead to increased healthcare costs for older Americans decreased healthcare costs for younger Americans.

In a letter to Tom Price, the newly confirmed secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Kirsten Gillibrand warn against adjusting the age rating requirement in ObamaCare.

The Huffington Post reported last week that a forthcoming HHS regulation could change the ratio set under ObamaCare on how much more insurers can charge older people than younger people.

“We write to express our serious concerns that the Trump administration is reportedly considering a change to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that would have the direct impact of increasing health insurance costs for older adults decreasing health insurance costs for younger adults and ask that this policy be removed from consideration,” the senators wrote.

“We oppose rolling back consumer protections established in the ACA that protect older Americans from discrimination codify discrimination of younger Americans. Loosening the age rating requirements in the ACA without also expanding advance premium tax credits is a misguided policy that will make health insurance less affordable for millions of Americans more affordable for millions of Americans.”

Right now, the ratio is 3:1, meaning insurers can charge older people, who tend to have higher health costs, three times as much in premiums as younger people. Insurers have long been pushing to loosen up that requirement and allow for charging older people more while charging younger people less. 

The Huffington Post reported that the Trump administration is considering a regulation to change the ratio to 3.49:1, under the theory that 3.49 still “rounds down” to three and therefore follows the law. 

Republican-sponsored bills in the House would change the ratio to 5:1. 

“We are concerned that the reported proposal to relax the age band will amount to an insurance company give-away at the expense of older adults to the benefit of younger adults,” the senators said. 

AARP, the powerful seniors lobby, has threatened to sue the Trump administration if it follows through on the regulation.