Sponsor
Russell Fulcher
Representative · R-ID
The bill increases transparency and limits how long people can stay on short-term plans, reducing indefinite reliance on limited coverage, but it risks creating coverage gaps and loss of protections for people with preexisting conditions if insurers or consumers cycle on and off these plans.
Uninsured people and those with chronic conditions are less likely to remain indefinitely on limited short-term plans because the bill caps continuous coverage by short-term plans at 3 years.
Uninsured people get clearer contract terms because short-term plans must state an expiration date of under 12 months from the original effective date.
People with preexisting conditions face a higher risk of losing comprehensive protections and becoming unable to afford care when short-term plans expire or when the 3-year limit is reached.
Uninsured consumers and taxpayers may face coverage gaps and higher costs if insurers design products to cycle coverage around the 3-year limit (eg, repeated short-term enrollments), undermining continuity of care.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a federal statutory definition of short-term limited duration insurance with per-contract expirations under 12 months and total duration (including renewals) capped at 3 years.
Representative · R-ID
Creates a statutorily defined meaning for “short-term limited duration insurance” by adding a new definition to the federal health insurance statute. The new definition says such a policy must have an original contract expiration date less than 12 months after the policy’s original effective date and that total duration (including renewals or extensions) may not exceed 3 years from that original effective date. The change affects how short-term plans are classified under federal law, which can influence which consumer protections and marketplace rules apply to those plans and how issuers design and market them.
Official title: To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to ensure the appropriate availability of short-term limited duration insurance.
Introduced November 25, 2025 by Russell Fulcher · Last progress November 25, 2025