Bipartisan Experts Urge Next Steps On Health Care Push

WASHINGTON - A group of conservative and liberal health policy experts is pressing the Trump administration and Congress to take steps to quickly shore up coverage under the Obama health care law, an idea that's been anathema to President Donald Trump and many congressional Republicans.

The plan, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, includes continuing federal payments to insurers Trump has threatened to block. It says Trump and lawmakers should find a way for people to buy coverage in the handful of counties that may have no insurers next year in the federal and state insurance exchanges created by President Barack Obama's statute.

In addition, the analysts want the administration to continue urging people to sign up for policies and helping them enroll, which was stressed under Obama. The Trump administration has signaled it might curtail those outreach programs, one of several steps it's suggested it might take that would undermine the law.

It is unclear whether the recommendations will have much influence on one of the most politically polarizing issues in Washington.

The impact might also be blunted because the Senate's jolting July 28 defeat of the GOP effort to repeal Obama's law has left Republicans divided over whether to seek a bipartisan deal with Democrats.

The paper says the suggestions are aimed at stabilizing health care markets "until a longer-term resolution can be achieved and, most importantly, to protect coverage and health care access."