CCHF Letter to President Trump - Idaho Gov. Executive Order

February 23, 2018

Honorable Donald J. Trump, President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President and Secretary Azar:

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is pleased that the Trump administration has issued a ruling to restore short-term, limited duration health insurance. We will submit public comments supporting the proposed rule and asking for the duration to be at least 24 months, if not longer. The longer the life of the policy, the closer the policy comes to the catastrophic policies that the Affordable Care Act unconstitutionally prohibits (section 1302(e)).

The primary purpose of this letter is to ask you to withhold all regulatory action against the state of Idaho and Governor Butch Otter for his executive order to authorize health insurance policies that do not comply with the ACA.

The ACA is a violation of state’s rights. Governor Otter, for the sake of the people of Idaho, is providing an escape route from the costs and restrictions imposed by the federal law. He is using Idaho’s Tenth Amendment protections to protect the 1.7 million people under his authority as governor and to restore their freedom to choose affordable (true) insurance.

What Governor Otter has done is to lead—in the right direction. He has done what every other governor should do, and now Blue Cross has agreed to provide such affordable non-ACA policies for the people of Idaho, at a cost of up to 50% less than the ACA-compliant policies. This is the re-emergence of a free market. The administration should encourage other states to follow Governor Otter’s lead, not generate fear of federal enforcement.

Thank you for your consideration of our request. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Twila Brase, RN, PHN
President and Co-founder

Enclosure

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