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Bill Flores (R-TX, 17th)
“I applaud President Trump’s actions to provide relief for hardworking American families that continue to struggle under the skyrocketing costs and shrinking options of Obamacare. This executive order is a good first step to expand access, create more competition and make health care more affordable. I remain committed to working with my Congressional colleagues and President Trump to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a 21st century health care system that lowers costs, encourages competition and empowers hardworking American families to take control of their health care decisions.”
Bill Foster (D-IL, 11th)
For seven years, the Republican Party promised us a better health care plan with lower costs and better coverage. When they failed to live up to their promises, all that President Trump could deliver was a cruel slap in the face to millions of Americans who depend on these payments for lifesaving care. It is blatantly wrong to punish the American people just because the Republicans who control Congress failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
It's hard to live up to a promise like that when the Democrats refuse to support it out of spite and stick their foot out to trip every effort. There is no one to blame but yourself and the other Democrats you work with, Foster.
Lois Frankel (D-FL, 22nd)
“President Trump has become a one-man wrecking ball of the American health care system, taking actions that will cause millions of people to lose affordable access to their medical care. His most recent directive eliminating cost-sharing payments is projected to cause a 20 percent hike for everyone on ACA plans.
This comes just hours following an Executive Order that will lead to junk insurance coverage and maneuvers to make it harder to sign up for the ACA. With little fanfare, the Trump administration has cut off funding to navigators who help people sign up for plans, shortened the enrollment period from 12 to 6 weeks, and spitefully shut down healthcare.gov on Sundays when people are likely to enroll. In a crushing blow to women and their families, he gutted the birth control mandate. All these actions will destabilize the health insurance market and put the well-being of millions of Americans at risk."
Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH, 11th)
“Enough is enough. President Trump’s relentless efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act are pure evil and puts millions of lives at risk. By eliminating the vital cost-sharing reduction payments, hardworking American families will see their premiums rise 20% and millions of Americans could lose their health care coverage.
“Once again this is designed to widen the gap between rich and poor and young and old. Congress has already put children’s lives at risk by allowing CHIP and Community Health Center funding to expire.
“The President’s actions not only hurt families, but also increase the federal deficit by nearly $200 billion over ten years. This action was designed to destabilize and destroy the Affordable Care Act.
“It is time to put an end to growing uncertainty. We must fund the cost-sharing payments and Congress must work together to stabilize the marketplace and find bipartisan solutions to expand access to affordable health care.”
John Garamendi (D-CA, 3rd)
“Trump’s actions are purposely designed to destroy the health insurance systems that millions of Americans depend on. It is heartless and spiteful, and serves no purpose other than harming Americans as a political negotiating tactic.”
“Eliminating cost-sharing reduction payments will make premiums soar by 20 percent, and force insurers to abandon entire counties. And it won’t even save the government any money: the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not making these payments will cost taxpayers nearly $200 billion over 10 years. President Trump is literally spending hundreds of billions of dollars to drive prices up for middle class Americans.”
“Furthermore, President Trump’s Executive Order will create unregulated, fly-by-night TrumpCare plans with few protections and little actual coverage. These junk plans won’t cover essential health benefits, but they may be tempting to younger, healthy Americans—until they find out that it isn’t actually there for them when they need it. In the meantime, these plans could split the risk pool a healthy insurance market depends on, driving up costs for Americans who are older and have pre-existing conditions. When I was California Insurance Commissioner, I fought against the abuses of these fly-by-night plans that took people’s money but weren’t there to provide coverage when they were needed. Promoting these shoddy plans will not bring security to American healthcare.”
“I never thought I would see the day when an American president intentionally made life worse for the American people just to browbeat Congress into submitting to his political agenda. But that is literally what President Trump has done.”
Actually, I saw it during the last President's term. Remember when he refused to sign the bill that actually repealed it after it passed both the House AND the Senate? Talk about going against what America wanted.
Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ, 5th)
"The President tweeted this morning ‘Dems should call me to fix!’ Well, here’s my call: we’re ready to sit down and fix health care.
"The President's decision to scrap CSR payments is an irresponsible blow to Jersey families and to health care costs and coverage. This move will singlehandedly both increase the federal deficit by $200 billion and spike premiums by more than 20 percent in New Jersey next year. It will also limit health care options for Americans across the country. After this latest in a series of executive actions meant exclusively to sabotage the ACA, it’s a time for Democrats and Republicans to come together to improve health care.
“When the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus proposed fixing the Affordable Care Act in July, we proposed guaranteeing CSR payments for this very reason: it's a common sense policy that will lower premiums by twenty percent, cover more people, cost consumers less, and save the government money. If the Administration wants to play politics by making health care more expensive, then I call on the Speaker to bring a bill to the floor to right this wrong for the American health care marketplace. Dropping CSR payments puts politics in the drivers seat, manufacturing a national emergency rather than pursuing common sense, bipartisan solutions to help New Jersey families."
Gene Green (D-TX, 29th)
“President Trump promised to make healthcare more affordable and increase access for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, his decision to end subsidy payments that help almost 7 million people afford out-of-pocket costs and premiums will have an opposite effect. Ending the CSR payments is a spiteful act that will lead insurers to either leave the Affordable Care Act marketplace or increase Americans’ healthcare premiums by 20 percent or more. I am sure the President will continue to say that the ACA is imploding, but he’s the one who will be held accountable for destabilizing the marketplace. It’ll be up to Congress to take legislative action, and as the Ranking Member of the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health I hope that my Republican colleagues will work with us to protect consumers and provide stability to the markets.
“If President Trump really wanted to lower premiums in the individual market and encourage participation and competition among insurers, he would fully fund the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments and give insurers long-term certainty. The Executive Order that he proposed today could lead to many association health plans being exempted from core ACA requirements like the coverage of certain essential health benefits, exposing consumers to junk plans and likely destabilizing the markets. From slashing funding for the Open Enrollment outreach to threatening to stop CSR payments to insurers, this Executive Order is just the latest step President Trump has taken to harm Americans by sabotaging the Affordable Care Act. I urge the President and the Republican Majority to quit the sabotage and work with Democrats to improve the ACA though bipartisan solutions.”
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