President Donald Trump’s administration released a new rule on February 15, 2017 that shortens the enrollment period for 2018 from a full three months to a period beginning November 1 and ending December 15. The rule, meant to help stabilize that market by evening out the risk pool, would allow consumers to receive a full year of coverage and makes it easier to process enrollment. The rule has a 20-day comment period that ends March 7, 2016. Key issues concerning the insurance industry have not yet been addressed by the Trump administration, including maintaining and enforcing the individual mandate that would help level out the risk pool by drawing in young healthy individuals, and the continuation of cost-sharing subsidies. Patient advocacy groups have already spoken out against the new rule, saying the administration is trying to sabotage the Affordable Care Act by making it more difficult for people to enroll.
