
- Third party premium assistance is an essential tool by which hundreds of chronic disease patients in Idaho secure adequate health coverage and treatment. These programs have operated in Idaho and across the nation for decades, and have provided aid to countless patients who otherwise lack sufficient financial resources to pay their share of premiums toward medical treatment(s) or prescription coverage. Thanks to the efforts of charitable assistance programs, patient access to treatment and quality of life have been greatly enhanced. In many instances, third party premium assistance has spared chronic disease patients the burden of having to choose between medical treatment and necessities like food or rent.
- The current language of the draft would allow premium assistance from an “organization/institution that is financially disinterested.” This language is highly problematic. It has and will be used by insurance carriers as cause to reject premium assistance from reputable and established nonprofit organizations.