President Trump Signs Executive Order On The ACA, HR Policy Identifies Regulatory Priorities

ERISA Preemption and State Laws, Federal Health Care Reform, Member-Driven Practice Initiatives, Transparency, Quality and Cost Containment, Wellness

On the day of his inauguration, President Trump signed Executive Order 13765, requiring his Administration to "take all actions" to minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens of the Affordable Care Act and to give states more flexibility and control.  HR Policy has sent a letter to the White House requesting a meeting to discuss the importance of strengthening ERISA preemption and making various regulatory changes to preserve employer-provided health care benefits.  Such changes would reduce unnecessary burdens that increase costs for employees, limit flexibility and restrain innovation.  Two things are clear from the EO.  First, the administration believes much can be done in the regulatory arena before any legislative action takes place.  Second, there is a clear intent to move more action to the state level.  Both of these present opportunities and challenges to the large employer community.  With regard to regulatory activity, there are many areas where implementation of the ACA could be made more acceptable and, over the past six years, these have been a priority of the Association.  That's the opportunity.  The challenge comes with the second point.  HR Policy will be very vigilant regarding the potential impact of any shift of action to the state level on our member companies’ ability to provide uniform and affordable benefits to their employees on a multi-state basis.