February 21, 2018 - SACRAMENTO, Calif. - "Yesterday, the Trump Administration took another action to erode the protections of the Affordable Care Act and put the individual health insurance market in jeopardy by proposing a change to federal rules regarding limited duration health plans. The proposed rule would extend the maximum length of time someone can be covered by one of these plans which often exclude coverage for preventive health care and many essential health benefits, while also lacking consumer protections for those with pre-existing conditions, and lack annual or lifetime dollar limits and guaranteed renewability of ACA compliant coverage.

This Trump Administration proposal is another attack on the integrity of the nation's health insurance markets, as it would permit skimpy health plans, without the benefits required under the ACA. This Trump proposal would leave a family exposed to high medical costs and medical bankruptcy just when they need health coverage the most. Further, this proposal would act to transform the existing ACA market into a high-risk pool by siphoning off consumers with lower health risks into skimpy plans. The Trump Administration admits that their plan will degrade the risk pool for ACA plans, raise premiums in state exchanges, and increase costs to the federal government. I oppose the Trump Administration proposal to offer consumers health plans that cannot be relied upon to cover essential health services when people need them most and will result in higher premiums for people who maintain their ACA coverage."

Under the current rule issued by President Obama, these short-term plans are meant for someone who needs coverage very temporarily and can last for no more than three months, but under the proposed rule these policies could last just under 12 months. 
Source: CPRB