Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump once again touted the idea of allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines at the second general election debate Sunday, despite multiple analyses that show such a policy could substantially damage the individual market and roll back protections that consumers have come to rely on.
Trump has not provided details for how selling insurance across state lines would be regulated. A three and a half page addendum to health policy bullet points on his website states: “As long as the plan purchased complies with state requirements, any vendor ought to be able to offer insurance in any state. By allowing full competition in this market, insurance costs will go down and consumer satisfaction will go up.”
But there is no evidence the last sentence is accurate and policy analysts have frequently warned the opposite is more likely true.
