In one day, between an Executive Order that will de-stabilize the insurance market and cutting off cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, President Trump has done what Congress repeatedly refused to — gut American health care. But, in slashing cost sharing reduction payments, not only is Trump out of step with the American people — he is out of step with many in his own party including key Senators, Governors and House members.
Now, the same Republicans who have spoken out in favor of efforts to stabilize the market and continue these payments which keep out of pocket costs low for millions of Americans, must step up and
immediately work to pass legislation to restore cost sharing reduction payments and stabilize the market or the political consequences associated with gutting people’s health care won’t just fall on Trump.
See what Republicans have said is support of continuing cost sharing reduction payments…
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “If My Side Is Unable To Agree On An Adequate Replacement, Then Some Kind Of Action With Regard To The Private Health Insurance Market Must Occur.” “If my side is unable to agree on an adequate replacement, then some kind of action with regard to the private health insurance market must occur,’ McConnell said. ‘No action is not an alternative. We’ve got the insurance markets imploding all over the country, including in this state.” [Washington Post, 7/6/17]
Sen. John Thune (R-SD): “I Hope The President Will Continue To Make Those Payments.” [Kasie Hunt Tweet, 8/1/17]
House Deputy Majority Whip Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK): “Asked If He Thought Congress Should Provide The Money, Mr. Cole Said, ‘My Personal Opinion Is Yes.’” “I don’t think anyone wants to disrupt the markets more than they already are.” Asked if he thought Congress should provide the money, Mr. Cole said, “My personal opinion is yes.” [New York Times, 4/10/17]
REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN): Sen. Alexander “Recommended The Trump Administration Find A Way, Either Through Administrative Action Or Legislation Or A Combination, To Extend Temporary Cost-Sharing Payments Under The Affordable Care Act At Least Through 2018 — And Probably Should Go Ahead And Do It Through 2019.’” He “recommended the Trump administration ‘find a way, either through administrative action or legislation or a combination, to extend temporary cost-sharing payments under the Affordable Care Act at least through 2018 — and probably should go ahead and do it through 2019.’” [Statement, 6/15/17]
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): “Without Payment Of These Cost-Sharing Reductions, Americans Will Be Hurt.” “‘Without payment of these cost-sharing reductions, Americans will be hurt. Up to half of the states will likely have bare counties with zero insurance providers offering insurance on the exchanges, and insurance premiums will increase by roughly 20%, according to America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).” [Alexander Statement, 8/1/17]
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN): We Should “Approve The Temporary Continuation Of Cost-Sharing Subsidies For Deductibles And Co-Pays.” “‘While we build replacements, we want the 11 million Americans who now buy insurance on the exchanges to be able to continue to buy private insurance. Among the actions that will help are to… approve the temporary continuation of cost-sharing subsidies for deductibles and co-pays.’” [Politico Pro, 1/13/17]
Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT): “I Think They’re Going To Have To Be Paid.” “I think they’re going to have to be paid.” “You can’t let people be without basic health care.” [Politico, 7/18/17]
House Ways And Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX): “We Should Act Within Our Constitutional Authority Now To Temporarily And Legally Fund Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments As We Move Away From Obamacare.” “We should act within our constitutional authority now to temporarily and legally fund cost-sharing reduction payments as we move away from Obamacare.” “Insurers have made clear the lack of certainty is causing 2018 proposed premiums to rise significantly.” [New York Times, 6/8/17]
House Energy And Commerce Committee Chair Greg Walden (R-WA): “I Will Do Everything I Can To Make Sure The Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments Get Made.” “I will do everything I can to make sure the cost-sharing reduction payments get made, especially this year where they were promised by the federal government under the contracts.” “That’s an obligation not only to insurers but also to the people who took on those plans. We cannot leave them high and dry.” [Bloomberg, 3/30/17]
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-WI): The Senate Should “Bite The Bullet And Stabilize Those Markets.” “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has for months called for a bipartisan stabilization bill that would guarantee funding for ObamaCare payments, known as cost-sharing reductions, to insurers. Those payments are key to avoiding premium spikes and keeping insurers in the markets. Johnson said Tuesday that he hopes the GOP can pass something next week, but if not, ‘bite the bullet and stabilize those markets.’” [The Hill, 7/13/17]
OTHER REPUBLICANS
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL): “Cutting Health Care Subsidies Will Mean More Uninsured In My District. @POTUS Promised More Access, Affordable Coverage. This Does Opposite.” [Tweet, 10/12/17]
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL): “Cost Sharing Reductions Are Critical To Low Income Americans. Congress Should Guarantee Their Funding Through The Appropriations Process.” [Tweet, 10/13/17]
Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY): “If Congress Doesn’t Get It Done The People Who Suffer Are The People Back Home.” “GOP Rep. Tom Reed calls for Congress to fund CSRs. ‘If Congress doesn’t get it done the people who suffer are the people back home.’” [Tweet, 10/13/17]
Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ): “Now Congress Must Act And Pass The Problem Solvers Caucus Health Care Plan That…Funds The Cost-Sharing Reduction Program.” “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.” [Statement, 10/13/17]
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA): “Families Would Be Hurt” If Payments Not Made.” [Sahil Kapur Tweet, 8/1/17]
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME): “It Really Would Be Detrimental To Some Of The Most Vulnerable Citizens If Those Payments Were Cut Off.” “It would not affect my vote on health care, but it’s an example of why we need to act to make sure that those payments, which are not an insurance company bailout, but rather help people who are very low-income afford their out-of-pocket costs towards their deductibles and their co-pays. And that’s what we need to remember. So, it really would be detrimental to some of the most vulnerable citizens if those payments were cut off. They’re paid to the insurance companies, but the people that they benefit are people who make between 100 percent and 250 percent of the poverty rate. So, we’re talking about low-income Americans who would be devastated if those payments were cut off, though the threat to cut off those payments has contributed to the instability in the insurance market.” [Collins on CNN’s State of the Union, 7/30/17]
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME): “Very Concerned” About Executive Order And Cutting CSR Funding.” “Susan Collins says she’s ‘very concerned’ with Trump’s new ACA EO and decision to do away with CSRs.” [10/12/17]
Susan Collins: “It Is Absolutely Essential That The CSR Payments Continue.” [Huffington Post’s Matt Fuller Tweet, 8/1/17]
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): “The Senate Should Step Back And Engage In A Bipartisan Process To Address The Failures Of The ACA And Stabilize The Individual Markets.” “As I’ve been saying, the Senate should take a step back and engage in a bipartisan process to address the failures of the ACA and stabilize the individual markets. That will require members on both sides of the aisle to roll up their sleeves and take this to the open committee process where it belongs.” [Murkowski Statement, 7/18/17]
Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN): “If We Pull The Subsidies … I Think There Would Be Nobody With A Health Insurance Plan Next Year.” “If we pull the subsidies … I think there would be nobody with a health insurance plan next year.” [Politico, 4/26/17]
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND): “As Long As It’s [The Subsidies] Are Part Of The Law Of The Land, It’s Our Job To Appropriate The Money.” “As long as it’s [the subsidies] are part of the law of the land, it’s our job to appropriate the money.” [Politico, 4/5/17]
GOVERNORS, INCLUDING REPUBLICANS
National Governors Association: “The Federal Government Should Fully Fund The Cost-Sharing Reductions (CSRs) For The Remainder Of CY 2017 And CY 2018.” “The federal government should fully fund the cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) for the remainder of CY 2017 and CY 2018 and offer long-term certainty about the future of CSRs.” [NGA, 6/20/17]
Govs. Kasich, Hickenlooper, Sandoval, Wolf, Walker, McAuliffe, Edwards, Bullock: Trump Administration Should Make CSR Payments And Congress Should Explicitly Appropriate Funds Through 2019. “The Trump Administration should commit to making cost sharing reduction (CSR) payments. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), National Governors Association, and United States Chamber of Commerce have identified this as an urgent necessity…Also, Congress should put to rest any uncertainty about the future of CSR payments by explicitly appropriating federal funding for these payments at least through 2019. This guarantee would protect the assistance working Americans need to afford their insurance, give carriers the confidence they need to stay in the market, increase competition, and create more options for consumers.” [Letter, 8/31/17]
Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas: Calls Trump’s Threat To Withdraw Cost-Sharing Payments “Very Problematic.” “However, Hutchinson says he does have concerns about President Trump’s threat to withdraw cost-sharing from insurance companies if no healthcare bill is passed. Cost-sharing creates a healthcare fund that covers co-payments and deductibles for low-income enrollees. ‘That would be very problematic. That is like withdrawing one little element of the Affordable Care Act… without having a comprehensive reform,’ said Hutchinson.” [Arkansas Public Radio, 8/4/17]
Govs. McAuliffe And Baker On Behalf Of The Health And Human Services Committee, National Governors Association: “A First Critical Step In Stabilizing The Individual Health Insurance Marketplaces Is To Fully Fund CSRs For The Remainder Of Calendar Year 2017 Through 2018.” “The Administration has the opportunity to stabilize the health insurance market across our nation and ensure that our residents can continue to access affordable health care coverage. A first critical step in stabilizing the individual health insurance marketplaces is to fully fund CSRs for the remainder of calendar year 2017 through 2018. This is a necessary step to stabilize the individual marketplaces in the short term as Congress and the Administration address long-term reform efforts.” [NGA, 8/2/17]
Govs. Hickenlooper, Bullock, Sandoval, Hogan, Wolf, Edwards, McAuliffe, Baker, Kasich, And Scott: Instead Of Pursuing Health Care Repeal, “We Ask Senators To Work With Governors On Solutions To Problems We Can All Agree On: Fixing Our Unstable Insurance Markets.” “Instead, we ask senators to work with governors on solutions to problems we can all agree on: fixing our unstable insurance markets. Improvements should be based on a set of guiding principles, which include controlling costs and stabilizing the market, that will positively impact the coverage and care of millions of Americans, including many who are dealing with mental illness, chronic health problems, and drug addiction.” [Letter, 7/26/17]
Govs. Kasich, Bullock, Hogan, Edwards, Walker, Hickenlooper, Baker, Wolf, Scott, McAuliffe, And Sandoval: “Congress Should Work To Make Health Insurance More Affordable By Controlling Costs And Stabilizing The Market.” “Congress should work to make health insurance more affordable by controlling costs and stabilizing the market, and we are pleased to see a growing number of senators stand up for this approach.” [Letter, 7/18/17]