President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that looks to ease restrictions on association health plans, according to CBS News.
Here are four things to know about the executive order.
1. The order directs the Department of Labor to change their current rules and allow small businesses in the same line of work or the same trade organization to band together and purchase insurance plans, according to The Hill.
2. Association health plans will be exempt from ACA regulations, including benefit requirements, according to The Washington Post.
3. The order also instructs HHS, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Labor to allow short-term health plans to be expanded from their current three-month limit to 12 months.
4. Critics of the order say association plans will draw away healthy patients from the individual market and drive up premiums, though the fact that the plans are limited to small businesses and not individuals could potentially lessen that effect. The Trump administration has touted the competitive negotiating capabilities of these groups to potentially secure lower premiums for enrollees.