Insurer Groups Sound Off on Proposed Changes to Fixed Indemnity, Short-Term Plans

  • Sep 29, 2023

    Health insurer trade groups agree that it’s a good idea to reinstate strict limits on short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI) plans, according to their official comments on a proposed rule from the Biden administration. But their views diverge on the proposed regulation’s treatment of fixed indemnity insurance and other supplemental coverage. 

    The proposed rule in question — issued on July 7 by HHS and the Labor and Treasury departments — answered a growing chorus of calls to crack down on STLDI amid concerns that many consumers mistake them for comprehensive coverage. Meant to bridge a gap in insurance coverage, STLDI plans are exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections, such as the ban on charging higher rates for sicker people and the requirement that plans must cover a prescribed set of “essential benefits.” 

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  • Leslie Small

    Leslie has been working in journalism since 2009 and reporting on the health care industry since 2014. She has covered the many ups and downs of the Affordable Care Act exchanges, the failed health insurer mega-mergers, and hundreds of other storylines spanning subjects such as Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage, employer-sponsored insurance, and prescription drug coverage. As the managing editor of Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits, she writes and edits for both publications while overseeing a small team of reporters who also focus on the managed care sector. Before joining AIS Health, she was a senior editor for the e-newsletter Fierce Health Payer, and she started her career as a copy editor at multiple local newspapers. She graduated with a dual degree in journalism and political science from Penn State University.

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