House Dems press Trump for details on ObamaCare order

House Democrats are pressing the Trump administration for details on an executive order the president signed earlier this month to “minimize the financial burden” of ObamaCare on insurers and healthcare providers. 

The order gave broad authority to the Department of Health and Human Services to make changes, but offered few specifics.

“As Republicans in Congress simultaneously pursue repeal of the law without an immediate replacement, we are concerned the recent executive order could sabotage the law’s coverage gains and destabilize insurance markets in the interim,” four Democrats belonging to key House committees wrote in a letter to the Trump administration.

{mosads}In the letter, Reps. Richard Neal (Mass.), Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.), Bobby Scott (Va.) and John Yarmuth (Ky.) ask the Department of Labor for a list of ObamaCare provisions or requirements that could be subject to the order.

Some think the executive order could be used to eat away at the law’s individual mandate by granting more exemptions to people so they do not have to purchase insurance. 

Republicans have also said they want to loosen the rules around ObamaCare’s requirements on what healthcare services an insurance plan must cover. 

Insurance experts have warned that any significant changes to the law without an adequate replacement could cause insurers to flee the marketplace, leaving millions without options for coverage.

The lawmakers also asked for information about how many people would lose health insurance or a reduction in benefits under the order and how much it would cost the government and individuals paying for healthcare, among other things.