Medical groups angry after Trump loosens insurance rules

President Trump’s effort to loosen federal rules to expand use of cheap, lower-quality health plans is drawing complaints from several major medical groups who fear the move will hurt the implementation of Obamacare.

The American Hospital Association and a collection of 18 groups — including the American Heart Association, March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society’s lobbying arm— opposed the executive order that Trump signed Thursday. Behind the criticism is a fear that the order’s embrace of short-term and association health plans could destabilize Obamacare’s marketplaces and endanger protections for people with pre-existing conditions like cancer.