Washington Post: President Trump is throwing a bomb into the insurance marketplaces
President Trump is determined to make sure the ACA fails spectacularly by repeatedly sabotaging it’s infrastructure. By cutting the advertising budget by 90%, shortening the enrollment period by 45 days, and now throwing the whole exchange into chaos by stopping important subsidies that cover low-income patients. Undoubtedly this will raise insurance rates significantly, how much is not yet known. The Republicans and Trump agree on this point, “if it ain’t broke, make sure to break it”.
President Trump is throwing a bomb into the insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act, choosing to end critical payments to health insurers that help millions of lower-income Americans afford coverage. The decision coincides with an executive order on Thursday to allow alternative health plans that skirt the law’s requirements.
The White House confirmed late Thursday that it would halt federal payments for cost-sharing reductions, although a statement did not specify when. Another statement a short time later by top officials at the Health and Human Services Department said the cutoff would be immediate. The subsidies total about $7 billion this year.
Trump has threatened for months to stop the payments, which go to insurers that are required by the law to help eligible consumers afford their deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses. But he held off while other administration officials warned him such a move would cause an implosion of the ACA marketplaces that could be blamed on Republicans, according to two individuals briefed on the decision.
