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Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL, 20th)
“The President announced today that he will purposefully spike healthcare premiums for millions of people. Make no mistake about it: this is not about improving healthcare or trying to help the American people; it is about rolling back anything President Obama accomplished.
“Instead of fixing the very workable problems we have, the President and his friends in Congress are purposefully destabilizing the marketplace. Time and time again they have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. They have failed every time – not because of Congressional dysfunction, but because they have no alternatives that don’t result in millions of people losing their insurance. This is the second time in 24 hours the President has undermined the ACA marketplaces. The effects will be real and they will be severe.
“President Trump now owns this issue. Every premium increase, every denied claim, and every American life lost from inadequate healthcare now lies at Donald Trump’s feet. This is a shameful and tragic day. The American people will remember who destroyed affordable healthcare.”
Denny Heck (D-WA, 10th)
“I condemn the President’s action to undermine the health insurance marketplace in the strongest terms possible. It is wrongheaded and frankly, just plain mean. It will spike the cost of premiums purchased through the state exchanges and will cause insurance to become unaffordable to countless of our neighbors.
“This is a purposeful sabotage of the Affordable Care Act and the consequences are no mystery — people will be hurt.
“It is now the job of Congress to double down on the bipartisan efforts currently underway to improve the Affordable Care Act and avert the disastrous effects of the President’s executive order.”
Heck is a cosponsor of H.R. 3748, the Medicare Buy-In Health Care Stabilization Act, which would allow Americans ages 50-64 to buy into Medicare, enacts new steps to stabilize the individual market, and requires the Department of Health and Human Services negotiate volume discounts on prescription drugs for all Medicare beneficiaries. Heck is also a cosponsor of H.R.3258, the Marketplace Certainty Act, which would permanently fund Cost Sharing Reductions subsidies (CSRs) to help prevent health care from becoming unaffordable for American families and bring financial stability to the health care marketplace (the Washington Health Plan Finder).
On March 22, Congressman Heck spoke on the House floor and urged his colleagues to vote against the American Health Care Act. He also spoke on the House floor against repealing the Affordable Care Act previously, telling Marty’s story on January 13, telling Shirley and Sarah’s story on February 3, telling Baby Gracie’s story on February 14, , and reading Sherry’s letter on March 8. Congressman Heck also invited Kelty Pierce to share her story with Congress as a guest for the President’s Joint Address to Congress.
Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA, 3rd)
“Here in Washington state, Association Health Plans (AHPs) currently provide roughly 400,000 individuals with quality, affordable health care plans – and that’s despite these popular programs being undermined and restricted by our state’s Insurance Commissioner. For many years, I’ve worked in a bipartisan manner to strengthen AHPs because they are a critical solution to making good health care more attainable for more people. If implemented correctly, the President’s expansion of AHPs could help bring down costs of quality care for thousands of Washingtonians.
“Unfortunately, supporting small businesses who want to provide health coverage for employees is one of the greatest areas of failure under the Affordable Care Act; the Obamacare small business exchange operated by Washington state only insures 164 people across all of Washington. There is no reason why small businesses shouldn’t be able to band together and offer employees the same types of quality health care plans as labor unions and large corporations do, and I will be eagerly monitoring how this executive order is implemented and will help however I can to make sure it is successful here in Southwest Washington.”
Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD, 5th)
“The Trump Administration’s announcement last night that it intends to end cost-sharing reduction payments will irreparably harm thousands of Maryland families. According to the Maryland Health Connection, 56% of Marylanders enrolled in the exchange qualify for a cost-sharing reduction. Without these payments, families across our state will see their copayments and deductibles increase dramatically. Furthermore, the Trump Administration’s action could potentially drive insurers out of the market entirely.
“This reckless action by the Trump Administration will not only raise premiums for thousands of Marylanders, but force the collapse of health insurance markets throughout the nation. I urge my colleagues in Congress to work expeditiously to stabilize our insurance markets and work to ensure all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care.”
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA, 7th)
“This year, the American people defeated Republican attempts to ram through a repeal of the Affordable Care Act on three separate occasions. With this executive order, President Trump is defying the will of the people, damaging our health care and continuing his assault on the Affordable Care Act. This order greenlights the sales of bare-bones insurance policies – what I call Trump Plans – with fewer protections and fewer benefits for patients, and scraps measures that prevent Americans from being charged higher premiums because of medical conditions.
“I call on President Trump to respect the will of the American people and cease and desist in his efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.”
Evan Jenkins (R-WV, 3rd)
“Obamacare is clearly failing, as we saw with this week’s announcement that premiums for West Virginians on the exchange will go up by almost 25 percent next year. That means West Virginians will be paying a nearly 200 percent increase in premiums under Obamacare.
“I applaud President Trump for acting to lower health insurance premiums and give families and small businesses more choices. In fact, I voted in March to help pass a bill that would have allowed for the creation of association health plans, one of the actions the president took today. That bill has stalled in the Senate, along with many other bills to fix our healthcare system, leaving President Trump no choice but to act.
“This executive order is an important step toward more affordable healthcare premiums, more competition and more choices – putting patients in control of their healthcare needs.”
Bill Johnson (R-OH, 6th)
“The Obamacare cost-sharing reduction subsidies were never on solid legal ground – a federal court said as much last year. Congress did not appropriate these funds, as would be required by law. Under our Constitution, the power of the purse belongs to Congress – not the President. That’s how our system of government works.
“Here's what we know...the current health law is unsustainable in its current form. Perhaps today’s announcement to reverse the unappropriated Obamacare subsidies will spur the Senate to follow the lead of the House and pass meaningful legislation to benefit the American people. It’s time for Republicans and Democrats to work together to repeal Obamacare, and replace it with affordable, high-quality, patient-centered health care solutions."
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX, 30th)
“President Trump is failing the American people when he chooses not to exercise proper judgment and action when reviewing what is truly at stake for those who will lose their health care coverage due to his proposed policies,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “By signing an executive order the president is creating an unleveled playing field for certain insurance companies allowing “short-term” plans to play by different rules.”
“This legislation has the ability to rob millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions of affordable health coverage. And it will allow businesses to provide coverage that doesn’t cover much at all. Congresswoman Johnson continued to stress, “it is important we work together in Congress to provide all Americans with access and affordable health care without driving up costs that will ultimately cut their coverage. We should continue to listen to how our constituents and those across the nation are personally impacted by the health care system, instead of making unilateral decisions that can ultimately harm millions.”
Henry C. (Hank) Johnson, Jr. (D-GA, 4th)
“Today, Trump continued his crusade against President Obama’s legacy by refusing to pay critical life-saving, cost-sharing subsidies,” said Johnson. “These payments enable more than seven million poor and middle-class Americans in the individual marketplace -- many of them chronically ill -- to purchase affordable health insurance. Along with his Executive Order yesterday that enriches health insurers by authorizing them to sell worthless health insurance policies across state lines, President Trump has delivered a double whammy that dramatically weakens the individual marketplace. His callous and thoughtless actions will cause needless suffering and possible death for the more than seven million Americans who depend on the individual marketplace for affordable health care.”
Mike Johnson (R-LA, 4th)
“Obamacare is imploding and harming the American people in the process. High premiums and low-quality care have become the new normal, but President Trump has made a commitment to get real relief to the American people. While I agree with the president’s sense of urgency, a permanent solution requires Congressional action. We must act swiftly and decisively to restore stability in the market place in support of today’s announcement.”
Jim Jordan (R-OH, 4th)
“President Trump is doing what voters sent him here to do. Today’s executive order on healthcare will start to give everyday Americans the relief they need from soaring premiums. But an executive order is not a permanent fix. Republicans in Congress need to follow the president’s lead and repeal Obamacare like we promised we would since 2010.”
Marcy Kaptur (D-OH, 9th)
“The President’s Executive Order and threats to ends cost reduction payments amount to sabotage for the health care of many Americans. People will see higher premiums and loss of coverage as a result of these actions, all to satisfy a careless Republican campaign promise.
“The President has already slashed outreach and assistance programs that helped many Ohioans enroll in health care, and this is another wrongheaded and destructive move. We need solutions that stabilize our health insurance system so Americans can get the care they need without having to worry about another politically motivated action from this President or Republican leaders in Congress.”
Robin Kelly (D-IL, 7th)
"Today's Executive Order is just the latest effort to undermine healthcare for millions of Illinoisans and sabotage market place stability, which will raise costs on American families.
It's time to stop playing politics and work together to reduce premiums and increase access to care.
This order makes zero sense from a health care or economic perspective. It serves only to deliver political points for Republicans entrapped by their own failure to legislate."
Joseph P. Kennedy, 3rd (D-MA, 4th)
“Segregating the sick and suffering from the wealthy and healthy will not only cause physical, mental and emotional pain, it will bankrupt families facing unexpected tragedies. With his unilateral action today, President Trump alone has obliterated the promise of protection for preexisting conditions and the guarantee of essential health benefits for millions of Americans. More than that, he is capitalizing on his belief that our nation is not strong enough to care for all of our citizens and, once again, he will be proven wrong.
“In the midst of an opioid epidemic and a mental health crisis in our nation, this Executive Order hollows out existing behavioral health parity laws. For those in the grips of addiction, treatment will become inaccessible and unaffordable. All of my colleagues in Congress who have expressed concern for this epidemic should immediately announce their opposition to this reckless Order.”
Kennedy has been an outspoken opponent of TrumpCare, with a particular focus on its assault on mental health care, substance use disorder treatment and Medicaid.
Ruben Kihuen (D-NV, 4th)
“One thing is clear: President Trump and Washington Republicans are determined to sabotage our country's health care system, regardless of how many people are left without the coverage they desperately need. Unilaterally ending the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments will increase premiums and deductibles, driving up out-of-pocket costs for hardworking families across the country. Nevadans could see their premiums spike by 15%, putting the health and financial security of our seniors, veterans, and hardworking families in jeopardy. In the absence of leadership from the Trump Administration, I urge my Republican colleagues to work with Democrats to pass the Marketplace Certainty Act, which would make these CSR payments permanent and help stabilize the healthcare marketplace.”
Daniel Kildee (D-MA, 5th)
“President Trump is actively undermining our health care system and causing instability in the marketplace. President Trump’s latest actions to sabotage our health care system will mean higher premiums for working families. Today’s Executive Order allows health insurance companies to offer junk health care plans with few benefits. It is health insurance in name only – it does not provide affordable or quality care.
“I am ready and willing to work with Republicans to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs. Republicans must drop their obsession with repeal and instead be willing to find bipartisan improvements to our system.”
Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL, 8th)
Dear President Trump:
When discussing healthcare on September 27, 2015, you promised that “I am going to take care of everybody... Everybody’s going to be taken care of much better than they’re taken care of now.” Earlier this year, on January 15, 2017, you confirmed that “We’re going to have insurance for everybody.”
In light of your decision on October 12 to end the cost-sharing reduction payments, I wanted to call your attention to the August 2017 Congressional Budget Office report entitled “The Effects of Terminating Payments for Cost-Sharing Reductions.”
The conclusions found by the CBO are staggering. Premiums for the average plan would increase 20-25% by 2020, with the full brunt of that cost falling on the consumers. Since 5% of Americans would be unable to purchase insurance on the individual market, 1 million Americans would lose their healthcare. For context, as of October 11, 2017, every county in the United States is expected to have at least one insurance option for 2018's health plans.
Beyond the very human harm, ending CSR payments would have devastating effects on the federal budget. With the above-mentioned increase in premiums, tax credits for premium assistance would necessarily rise as well. Since the government is legally obligated to provide these tax credits, the CBO estimates that the federal budget deficit would increase by $194 billion over 10 years.
This plan is particularly cruel to the 6.7 million middle-class Americans whose premiums will increase but who do not qualify for the tax subsidies. These middle-class families would see their out-of-pocket costs increase just to access the same level of care.
I have enclosed a copy of the report for your review. The CBO has been long-recognized as an independent, nonpartisan, and fact-based source of data for lawmakers. I have found their research invaluable in the past, and I hope this can be equally helpful to you in keeping your promises to the American people.
Sincerely,
Ann Kuster (D-NH, 2nd)
"This deliberate effort by President Trump to destroy the ACA is going to have devastating consequences for real people and families in New Hampshire and across the country. Ending cost-sharing reduction payments will spike premiums at a time when we should be working to reduce costs and expand access to care. There is support among both Republicans and Democrats for continuing these payments and for measures such as reinsurance programs that would help to stabilize the individual marketplace and rein in costs, but President Trump is hell-bent on undermining, not fixing the ACA. Sadly, President Trump's damaging executive order will make working together across the aisle to improve our healthcare system all the more difficult."
Doug Lamborn (R-CO, 5th)
"President Trump's executive order reverses many harmful measures taken against healthcare by the previous administration. In 2014, the House voted to challenge the Obama administration's unconstitutional spending. Obamacare made payment that were unauthorized by Congress and therefore illegal. This executive order appropriately restores Congress's authority to govern and represent the American people who voted for them."
Leonard Lance (R-NJ, 7th)
“I have long argued that funding for the cost-sharing reduction program is unconstitutional. Under our Constitution, the power of the purse belongs to Congress and a federal court last year affirmed this view by deeming these health insurance subsidy payments illegal. Now Congress must act and pass the Problem Solvers Caucus health care plan that I have endorsed. It funds the cost-sharing reduction program through the congressional appropriations process and implements free-market policies to improve our health care system and lower medical and insurance costs for all.”
Jim Langevin (D-RI, 2nd)
“I strongly condemn the President’s reckless actions to destabilize the health insurance market just two and half weeks before the 2018 open enrollment period begins. The President’s Executive Order and subsequent decision to abruptly end Cost Sharing Reduction payments is a one-two punch that will directly affect the affordability of health coverage for hardworking families. Choking off these payments will drive up premiums for many Americans already struggling to pay for insurance. The Administration is sabotaging critical pieces of a law that has provided millions of people with access to care in a cynical attempt to precipitate a crisis.
“We should be working together to strengthen our health care system. That is why I introduced the Individual Health Insurance Marketplace Improvement Act to lower costs and give consumers more options. It is high time that Republicans join Democrats in offering constructive solutions to expand access to health care rather than continuing their crusade against the Affordable Care Act.”
John B. Larson (D-CT, 1st)
“Those impacted by this decision are not statistics or a part of a political play; they are human beings, our fellow American citizens, who are being treated unfairly by this administration. Between cutting funding for Affordable Care Act enrollment outreach, to pursuing new regulations to blow holes in the law that allow the sale of junk insurance, they are out to sabotage our health care system. On average, insurers across the nation have already raised their premiums by 20 percent because of threats from the President to end CSR payments. This is harmful, cruel and unnecessary,” said Larson. “In Connecticut, nearly 46,000 residents benefit from the cost-sharing reduction program, which helps reduce the cost of co-payments and deductibles for individuals and families who earn less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Now more than ever, it is time for bipartisan action on commonsense solutions to improve our health care system, since the Trump Administration is determined to sabotage, and not help.”
On September 12th, Reps. Larson, Courtney, and Higgins introduced the Medicare Buy-In and Health Care Stabilization Act (H.R. 3748) to help improve existing CSR payments, make them available for more middle-class Americans, and allow Americans ages 50 to 64 to buy-into Medicare. The bill also proposes other ways to bolster stability in the marketplaces and bring down health care costs by finding innovative ways to reduce billions in waste, fraud, and abuse in the health care system.
Sander Levin (D-MI, 9th)
“President Trump is continuing his hateful efforts to deny or disrupt health coverage for American families. His most recent decision to end needed federal assistance to help reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses will directly increase costs for millions of middle-class and moderate-income families.
“Republicans in Congress have repeatedly rejected efforts by Democrats to prevent the President from taking this reckless step. They bear full responsibility for the consequences of their actions.”
John Lewis (D-GA, 5th)
“This executive order will begin the process of deconstructing the individual and small group insurance markets health insurance markets. Additionally, this administration recently confirmed its intent to end support for the cost sharing reductions that help many Americans afford health insurance.
“Taken together, these mean-spirited actions constitute an attack on women’s health, on those living with illness or injury, and on every American living paycheck to paycheck – month to month. Low-income people will lose their health care. Seniors who are not yet on Medicare will become more vulnerable, and those struggling to make ends meet will suffer unnecessarily. Make no mistake: This is the latest tactic of a piecemeal effort to strip away the benefits of the Affordable Care Act.
“I want to be clear – there is no policy justification for this executive order. The sole purpose is to increase the suffering of countless Americans and score political points. The health and well-being of Americans should not be the subject of political games. The American people deserve better – much better. There is no place for such maliciousness in public policy; too much is at stake.”
Alan Lowenthal (D-CA, 47th)
“President Trump has created a constant strain on the healthcare market since before he even took office. By entering the presidency promising to do away with the Affordable Care Act, and continuing to rail against its very existence, he has raised serious concerns and spread uncertainty among insurance providers—all with the result of increased premiums.
Now his actions have graduated from bluster and rhetoric to outright sabotage.
Yesterday, the president signed an executive order allowing cheaper plans with less coverage to be sold across state lines—an obvious attempt to drain younger healthier people out of the ACA marketplace. This would result in increased premiums for those Americans who rely on the ACA marketplaces and are most in need of quality healthcare coverage.
Even worse, today, the president said he plans to stop providing subsidy payments to ACA insurers. But insurers and customers alike will suffer. More than six million low-income Americans who receive cost-sharing subsidies are now threatened with a loss of their insurance. The Congressional Budget Office already stated that this would result in ACA premium increases around 20% and may result in many insurers pulling out of the market all together.
Thankfully, Covered California has already taken precautionary steps to avoid a statewide market collapse resulting from this kind of action from the president.
I also support California’s further action in suing the administration for its efforts not to live up to the promises that the Affordable Care Act granted insurers, states, and the American people.”
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY, 12th)
“This is yet another desperate attempt by President Trump to deliberately sabotage the Affordable Care Act after Republicans in Congress failed to repeal it. Members of both parties support continuing cost-sharing reduction payments because they help maintain stability in the health insurance market and ensure that prices do not spike for low-income Americans. Unfortunately, President Trump seems intent on single-handedly destroying patient protections and cost-saving protections currently in place. Ending cost-sharing payments is a reckless and thoughtless action that will cause severe harm for millions of people across the country.
“In order to reverse President Trump’s action, Congress should immediately take up the Marketplace Certainty Act (HR 3528), which would provide permanent funding for cost-sharing payments. Congress has a responsibility to keep people safe. By continuing cost-sharing payments we can live up to that responsibility by ensuring that millions of low-income Americans continue to have access to affordable health insurance and the care they need.”
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