(AP) _ Arkansas’ governor says the double-digit insurance rate increases approved by state regulators after the Trump administration ended a subsidy under the federal health overhaul won’t threaten the future of the state’s hybrid Medicaid expansion.Governor Asa Hutchinson told reporters Tuesday that the increase in premium costs expected for plans purchased through Arkansas’ hybrid expansion program will be offset by reducing a state version of the cost-sharing subsidies. Under Arkansas’ program, Medicaid funds are used to purchase private plans for low-income residents through the insurance marketplace.
The state on Friday approved new rate increases for plans offered on the marketplace under the health law. The approval came after the Trump administration ended the federal subsidies to insurers for reducing copays and deductibles for people with modest incomes.
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