When the Trump administration rolled out a plan to provide a less expensive alternative to Obamacare by allowing workers and small businesses to pool together to buy insurance, Democrats charged that it was opening the door to worthless “junk” and “skinny” plans. The early evidence suggests that, on the contrary, the initiative is working out — at least for now.

The administration’s alternatives, known as “association health plans,” have been covering the same benefits that Obamacare plans do, even though they are not obligated to, according to a new analysis by the industry publication Modern Healthcare and another by AssociationHealthPlans.com.