Trump Addresses Employee Benefits at State of the Union Address

President Trump delivered his 2019 State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019. During his speech, he touched upon several issues that could impact the employee benefits industry, including paid family leave, pre-existing conditions, and lower prescription drug prices.

Family Leave

Nationwide paid family leave has been a hot issue due to increased public pressure. President Trump called once again for federal paid family leave. Many states have moved forward and proposed their own versions of paid family leave. He mentioned no specifics of the plan or how it may be funded but this issue would have support from both Republicans and Democrats.

Pre-existing Conditions

The guarantee of coverage for pre-existing conditions has been on shaky ground for a while because ACA provisions have been picked apart and scrutinized by the Trump administration. The president believes that those with pre-existing conditions should receive protections. He’d likely find support from both parties in making a change.

Lower Prescription Prices

The president called on Congress to prioritize lowering both health care and prescription drug costs for the American people. This has been an ever increasing pain point for the public. Recent moves in the right direction include:

• The elimination of gag clauses (when pharmacists are banned from letting customers know about less-expensive options)
• Hospitals are required to post standard procedure pricing online
• A proposed rule to eliminate some drug rebates for pharmacy benefit managers in hopes of increasing customer savings

Take note that this is just a speech, and if any actual action or change will come out of this will remain to be seen. Download the bulletin for more info. Stay tuned to our blog for the latest updates on this and more.