Pelosi Statement Responding to Trump Comments Threatening to Collapse the Health Insurance Marketplaces

April 12, 2017

San Francisco – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released this statement following the publication of comments by President Trump in the Wall Street Journal in which the President threatens to withhold Cost Sharing Reduction payments as a negotiating tactic with Democrats. Last month, Leader Pelosi and Senator Schumer wrote to President Trump urging him to follow the law and continue implementation of the Affordable Care Act, including ensuring these payments to insurers are made that help low-income Americans get the health care they need.

"Instead of working with Democrats to bring down costs, President Trump is cruelly threatening to raise premiums on millions of families as a pretext to do even worse damage to Americans' health care.

"Refusing to make the Cost Sharing Reduction payments has no purpose but to hurt millions of people, and manufacture a crisis. If President Trump followed through on his appalling threat, millions of Americans would see their out-of-pocket costs skyrocket and premiums would immediately be driven up by at least 15 percent.

"The cruelty of President Trump's threat is matched by the bill Republicans desire to pass to drive up Americans' health costs. TrumpCare is a moral monstrosity because President Trump clearly does not care about the millions of families who would suffer from soaring premiums and out-of-pocket costs under his disgraceful plan.

"Once Republicans set aside their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Democrats stand ready to work across the aisle to update and improve the law."