Washington, D.C. - August 24, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Connecticut Congressional Delegation wrote U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price urging the Administration to permanently fund the cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) that are central to the stability and affordability of the individual marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced August 15 that President Trump’s refusal to fund CSRs would lead to a 20 percent spike in health insurance premiums and would increase the federal deficit by almost $200 billion. President Trump has continued to play politics with Americans’ healthcare, threatening each month to refuse funding for CSRs sowing instability in the ACA marketplaces.
Although President Trump announced last week he would fund CSRs for the month of August, continued uncertainty could contribute to substantial premium increases for American consumers. The Trump Administration has yet to announce if they will continue to make these payments, placing severe burdens on the healthcare market and consumers.
“As Connecticut works to finalize rates for next year and insurers make decisions on whether or not to remain on Connecticut’s exchange, it is essential that the Trump administration stop playing political games with the affordability and stability of our health insurance market. We urge you to immediately and permanently fund cost-sharing reductions at least through the end of 2018 so insurers in Connecticut and around the country have the certainty they need to operate effectively on ACA exchanges,” wrote the Delegation.
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