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Castor Accuses Trump of Intentionally Sabotaging Health Insurance

Kathy Castor TB Reporter Tampa Bay News

President Donald Trump’s failure to commit to maintaining certain payments is causing insurance companies to raise rates or pull out of some markets, according to U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, is blasting President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans for failing to commit to keeping premiums low.

Castor made her comments in the wake of a Senate Finance Committee hearing last week during which Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price would not commit Pres. Trump to decreasing costs for Americans by continuing cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments. Castor said the “very act of not answering purposefully sabotages the health insurance markets and affordable health coverage for our neighbors.”

Castor and Democratic members of Florida’s Congressional Delegation wrote a letter to Trump asking him to “commit now to maintaining cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments as the law requires. These payments are a critical component of providing affordable, quality health coverage to American families, particularly Floridians.”

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D- St. Petersburg, also signed the letter. To read the entire letter, click here.

During the 2017 open enrollment, Florida again led the country in the federal marketplace by enrolling about 1.7 million people. About 71 percent of marketplace enrollees in the state – 1.24 million Floridians – benefited from CSRs in 2016, according to a March 2017 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. On average, Florida enrollees receive over $1,200 in assistance through CSRs.

Castor’s full statement:

“House Republicans voted last month to rip health care coverage from working families, and while families across America await the outcome of congressional action, the Trump Administration continues to undermine the stability of the marketplace and refuses to commit to keeping premiums low.  The effect of the Trump Administration’s sabotage strategy is already being felt in states around the country.

“President Trump and his administration should focus on helping hardworking families keep their affordable health coverage rather than sticking Americans with much higher insurance bills. Support is critical for affordable quality health coverage and President Trump should not ‘play politics’ and threaten the peace of mind of parents and small business owners.

“Instead of working together to build on such successes as the number of uninsured Americans at its lowest in history and ending discrimination against my neighbors with pre-existing conditions, Trump is actively working to put the marketplace in jeopardy by not committing to these vital payments, which help provide my neighbors with affordable quality health care coverage options. Trump’s inaction on CSR payments is causing instability in the federal marketplace, which in turn is forcing health insurance companies to raise their rates for 2018 or pull out altogether.  He is intentionally sabotaging our health insurance markets and leaving hardworking American families and small businesses to bear the brunt.”

Castor represents Florida’s 14th Congressional District, which includes Tampa.

For information about Castor, go to castor.house.gov.

Kathy Castor | Donald Trump | Tom Price | Health Care | Health Insurance | Tampa Bay News | TB Reporter

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