President Trump, What Happened to 'Low Prices for Great Care'?
What happened to ‘you'll get such low prices for great care'? Thanks to President Trump:
- In New Mexico: Premiums will increase 30 percent.
- In Wisconsin: Premiums will increase 36 percent.
- In Pennsylvania: Premiums will increase 6 percent.
- In Ohio: Premiums will increase 34 percent.
- In New Jersey: Premiums for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey will increase 3 percent and AmeriHealth New Jersey will go up 17.1 percent.
- In West Virginia: Premiums for Highmark will increase 6 percent and CareSource will sell plans with 19 percent higher monthly premiums.
Health officials across the country condemn Republicans' cynical sabotage of marketplaces and efforts to spike families' health costs, and call on Congress to move forward to take constructive, bipartisan action to protect Americans' care and stabilize the insurance marketplaces.
"California is not immune to Trump's reckless and irresponsible action further sabotaging health care reform. In California, the most heavily subscribed plans (silver plans) will see an additional 12.4 percent rate increase on average in 2018 thanks to President Trump. California and other states will sue to reinstate the payments, but the President should walk back this reckless act and commit to making the ACA payments for the remainder of this year and next." – Dave Jones, California Insurance Commissioner
"As the Governor said in his statement, cutting the CSRs is cruel and irresponsible … It doesn't help people and will actually hurt consumers." – Marguerite Salazar, Colorado Insurance Commissioner
"President Trump has turned his back on the American people once again by putting a stop to the essential cost-sharing reductions. These payments from the federal government are essential to the structure of the ACA, which makes health insurance more affordable. In Delaware, over 80% of those who purchase insurance through the Marketplace receive the benefits of the cost-sharing reductions. This decision, in addition to attempting to slash navigator funding and putting up roadblocks by shortening the enrollment period, have serious consequences." – Trinidad Navarro, Delaware Insurance Commissioner
"If the subsidies are not funded, carriers would face the prospect of large financial losses, which could increase the risk to their solvency … It could be very damaging. Our market wouldn't recover." – Craig Wright, the chief actuary at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation
Ohio:
"Everyone who gets a bill from their insurer for higher health care costs next year can thank President Trump and Republicans in Congress for the sabotage that led to this … Their repeated threats, uncertainty and sabotage of our health care system is taking a toll on real people's lives in Ohio. Your health care bills next year should say ‘brought to you by Donald Trump and the GOP.' It's time for the GOP to stand up against this sabotage and lower premiums by voting to require the federal government to make CSR payments." – Brad Woodhouse, Protect Our Care Campaign Director
"The uncertainty is extremely problematic … If they don't get a subsidy, I fully expect double-digit increases for three carriers on the exchanges here." – Eric A. Cioppa, superintendent of the Maine Bureau of Insurance
"Rate change increase requests announced last month by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services were based on the assumption the subsidies would end … [I am] disappointed [by the move], which increases health insurance costs to Michigan residents." – Pat McPharlin, Director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
"The Trump Administration's decision to abruptly end these cost-saving federal subsidies is very concerning. We are still working to analyze the future impacts this decision will have on the Minnesotans who rely on MinnesotaCare and individual health insurance policies … It is important for Minnesotans who purchase their health insurance on the Individual Market to know that while the President's action will almost certainly create higher health insurance costs in the years ahead, it will not immediately impact health insurance rates or federal tax credits available during Minnesota's upcoming open enrollment period." – Minnesota Department of Human Services Commissioner Emily Johnson Piper, Minnesota Department of Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman and MNsure CEO Allison O'Toole
"I had hoped that the federal government would not cease these payments to insurers, an act that could create further instability in individual health insurance markets across the country … However, New Hampshire prepared for such a contingency by allowing insurers to file rates that assumed these payments would not be made." – Roger Sevigny, New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner
"The federal government's actions will drive costs higher and create additional uncertainty, making a volatile situation even worse. If cost-sharing subsidies are not funded, rates will increase further … Our hope is that federal policymakers will wake up and take actions to contain costs, promote stability, and encourage more people to obtain health insurance." – David Huber, Horizon's senior vice president and chief financial officer
"The failure of the administration and the House to bring certainty and clarity by funding CSRs has caused our company to file a 22.9 percent premium increase, rather than one that is materially lower … That will impact hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians." – Brad Wilson, president and chief executive of Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina
"It is with great regret that I must announce approved rates that are substantially higher than what companies initially requested. This is not the situation I hoped we would be in, but due to President Trump's refusal to make cost-sharing reduction payments for 2018 and Congress's inaction to appropriate funds, it is the reality that state regulators must face and the reason rate increases will be higher than they should be across the country." – Jessica Altman, Acting Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner
"The potential impact of that is very worrisome … What worries me more, as a doctor, is that (patients) are sick, they don't get care, then they show up in our ER with a problem that could have been taken care of four months ago, or maybe the problem was reversible four months ago, but is no longer reversible." – Patrick Cawley, Medical University Hospital CEO
"We are holding off making those decisions until the very last possible minute … In doing so, we are really making it difficult for consumers who need information about open enrollment — who's participating in the market and what the rates might be. We don't know the answers to any of those questions. I am very fearful that we'll have insurers make a decision to leave markets as a result of the uncertainty. It's somewhat inequitable to ask insurers to sign a contract that binds them but may not bind the federal government." – Julie Mix McPeak, Tennessee insurance commissioner
"President Trump's decision to halt federal funding is a devastating blow to thousands of people in Washington state and further threatens the stability of our individual health insurance market … The president's short-sighted decision, combined with his executive orders announced Oct. 12, are certain to result in higher premium payments for consumers and will force our insurers to determine whether they will remain in an unstable market." – Mike Kreidler, Washington Insurance Commissioner