Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, sent a letter to Administrator Seema Verma at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to lay out their many concerns with the Trump Administration’s proposed changes to the 2020 health insurance marketplace.
“We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding policies included in the proposed rule, published on Jan. 24, 2019, “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2020." The proposed rule is yet another example of this administration’s pattern of complaining about the cost of individual and small group market health insurance coverage, while simultaneously enacting policies that actually increase those costs and remove protections for patients and families. If implemented, the policies in the proposed rule would result in thousands of people losing coverage, millions of dollars in premium increases, higher out-of-pocket costs even for those with employer coverage, and even tighter restrictions on women’s access to coverage for comprehensive reproductive health services. This proposed rule also requests comment on additional policies that could raise costs even further and result in even more patients and families losing coverage. We call on you not to finalize these policies and instead work with Congress and stakeholders across the health care system to reduce costs, secure patient protections, and improve access to coverage," wrote the members.
In their letter, the Members detailed many issues with the Trump Administration’s proposed rule which would make health care more expensive and less accessible for people across the country, including proposals to:
* change premium adjustment calculations and request comment on ending “silver loading" which would cause premiums and out-of-pocket costs to increase for families across the country;
* request comment on ending automatic re-enrollment in health insurance which could lead to millions of people losing coverage;
* place new burdens on insurers that cover reproductive health care which would likely discourage insurers from offering comprehensive plans that allow women to get the reproductive health care they need;
* make it easier for plans to stop covering drugs on short notice which could disrupt care for patients;
* and allow third party websites to enroll people in coverage directly, which could make it harder for consumers to compare plans and get the information they need to pick one that meets their needs.
Continuing, the Members wrote, “It is long past time for this administration to respond to rising health care costs with something other than proposals that kick individuals off their coverage, increase costs, and make the health care system more complicated. In this proposed rule alone, you propose policies that will increase premiums, make it more difficult to compare plans, increase the likelihood that patients will lose access to their medications, and make it harder for women to access comprehensive reproductive health services. We urge you to reverse course and work with patients, providers, insurers, and Congress to enact market rules that enhance competition and reduce costs."
The letter can be found HERE.
