NAIFA President Jill Judd urges the Department of Health and Human Services to allow employers to continue and expand group health insurance policies grandfathered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

In a letter responding to a request for information by HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Judd explains that grandfathered group coverage allows consumers who take advantage of grandfathered plans to avoid premium increases that would often accompany transitioning to plans subject to ACA standards and requirements.

NAIFA members in Idaho, Wisconsin, and Michigan are among those who reported that clients could see steep premium increases if grandfathered plans are discontinued. In the case of Michigan, clients could see their premiums go up by 30 to 40 percent, the letter says.

Judd also suggests a change to the rules that would assure plans’ grandfathered status is not jeopardized if employers make cost-saving structural changes to benefits plans they offer their workers.