Regulatory Possibilities from the New Trump Administration
Although much attention has been given to the controversial appointments of Robert F Kennedy, Jr. and Mehmet Oz to top health care roles in the Trump Administration, health plans in the individual Affordable Care Act (ACA) markets are likely to see greater impacts from the decisions of mid-level political appointees within the new presidential administration. Neither Kennedy nor Oz have publicly declared much about their view on some of the key regulatory questions which will shape the next few years of the ACA market, so the mid-level appointees will have a significant role in shaping the direction of the regulatory environment.
In this paper, I explore some of the writings of Peter Nelson, who was recently appointed as the Deputy Director for CCIIO, the primary regulator for ACA plans. I don’t dare suggest I can actually predict what Trump will do, but there are some tea leaves that health plans should pay attention to as they make their 2026 plan design and strategy decisions.