Manybrokers described "very negative experiences" with associationhealth plans and nearly all of them said they weren't fans of fixedindemnity plans.

Many insurance brokers are telling customers to avoid short-termhealth insurance plans that the Trump administration has sought toexpand in recent years.

The UrbanInstitute, a nonpartisan but liberal-leaning research group,reached out to brokers in seven states to get their perspectives onthe health insurance market.

"Despite federal rules designed to expand their sale, short-termplans have been slow to get off the ground, according to brokers inour study states, and few of the brokers with whom we spoke hadpositive opinions of short-term plans," stated the report.

Related: Short-term insurance policies driving higher costs,coverage gaps

Brokers said they were similarly reluctant to sell other typesof products that are often marketed as more affordable alternativesto Obamacare plans. Many described "very negative experiences" withassociation health plans and nearly all of them said they weren'tfans of "fixed indemnity plans," which offer a fixed dollar amountworth of health services.

"The brokers we interviewed almost universally criticized theseproducts, citing their caps on benefits and skimpy coverage," saidthe report.

Brokers' views on the general health insurance market were morepositive. In the seven states included in the study, all of themhave at least as many plans in operation as in 2018 and five ofthem have more.

Average benchmark premiums are also leveling off after years ofsharp increases. However, brokers report that some customers areactually paying higher premiums as a result of the benchmarkpremium decreasing. That's because the decrease in the benchmarkpremium also led to a decrease in subsidies for income-qualifiedcustomers.

Some brokers said they were happy with a Trump administrationrule that allows self-employed people to buy into small-grouphealth plans and that they have directed clients to thatoption.

In contrast, few brokers found much use for Individual Coverage Health ReimbursementArrangements, which the Trump administration has promoted as away for more employers to offer health coverage to workers. So far,said brokers, there is no evidence that employers are takingadvantage of that option.

Read more: 

• Short-term health insurance could get aboost
• Idaho's bid to skirt Obamacare rejected by Trumpadministration
• House committee's bill would limit short-termhealth plans to 3 months