The urge to do good in this time of health crisis is understandable, but it has the potential to drive bad policies. That’s unfortunately the case with a new Trump administration regulation that attempts to ensure displaced workers have continued access to health insurance during the pandemic. The new regulation could completely upend health insurance markets while sinking taxpayer money into a hole that does little to help patients or taxpayers.

Under current law, most displaced workers can extend their employer-based insurance coverage through COBRA. But under COBRA, health insurance costs are no longer partially subsidized by employers and can be prohibitively expensive, with family premiums often exceeding $1,500 per month.