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Protect Our Care Releases New Report as Part of Medicaid Awareness Month on Importance of Medicaid As a Lifeline For Rural Communities In Dealing With Spread of Coronavirus 

Read the Report Here

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report as part of Medicaid Awareness Month on how communities in rural America are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, and how Medicaid is an important tool for covering rural Americans and supporting struggling rural hospitals. Rural Americans face particular challenges when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic due to higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions, lower coverage rates, and other barriers to accessing health care. This report sheds light on those disparities and points out how the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on Medicaid and state Republicans’ refusal to implement expansion puts rural Americans’ health and safety at risk during this crisis. 

Report: Rural America in the Balance: Medicaid, Coronavirus & Rural Hospitals

“Medicaid is a lifeline for Americans in rural communities and its importance has never been clearer as rural America struggles with the spread of coronavirus,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “In order to ensure the health and safety of all Americans, but especially those in rural communities who lack necessary resources and access to care during this crisis, we need to ensure that funding for Medicaid is protected and the program is expanded. The Trump administration must stop its years-long effort to sabotage Medicaid and allow states to expand Medicaid so that Americans everywhere get access to the care they need.” 

Press Call This Morning Detailed the Need for Medicaid Expansion, Special Enrollment Period, Addressing Racial Disparities, Coverage Affordability, Banning Junk Plans and Funding Testing and PPE to Be Included in Congress’ Next Coronavirus Response Package

Call Audio Available Here

Washington, DC — On a press call this morning, Energy & Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ-06) along with E&C Subcommittee on Health Vice Chair G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01) and Protect Our Care detailed the need for Congress to include critical health care provisions in the next coronavirus response package. While the first three response packages focused primarily on providing economic relief and increased funding for hospitals, Chairman Pallone, Congressman Butterfield and POC made clear that the next package must focus on protecting the health of individual Americans. Chairman Pallone and POC have proposed measures to address the immediate and longer-term health care needs highlighted by the crisis. The priorities outlined on the call include adequately funding testing, supporting Medicaid expansion and a Special Enrollment Period for the uninsured, ending junk plans and stopping the Trump-ACA repeal lawsuit that would rip health care away from more than 20 million Americans and 135 million with pre-existing conditions as Americans grapple with the coronavirus crisis. 

“While Congress has already passed legislation to provide free coronavirus testing for everyone and emergency funds for hospitals and health care providers, there is still an urgent need for additional action,” said Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ). “Democrats will fight to cover the cost of coronavirus treatment for everyone and expand access to affordable health care coverage. Our priorities include opening a Special Enrollment period so everyone has a chance to sign up for coverage, expanding eligibility and increasing subsidies to lower monthly premiums and incentivizing states to expand their Medicaid programs. Congress must come together to address the health care needs of the American people in order for us to overcome this pandemic and be able to reopen the economy.”

“With each passing day, we continue to see the need for additional robust action to combat the COVID-19 crisis,” said Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC). “In North Carolina, and across the country, we are seeing a disproportionate impact of this virus on communities of color and rural and underserved populations. Improving access to care, testing, and treatment for minority populations, rural communities, and the under and uninsured must be a focus of the next coronavirus package.”

“In addition to continuing our investments in restoring our economy and addressing the financial needs of everyday Americans, the next big COVID bill needs to be a health care bill,” said Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care. “Americans are more worried than ever about their health and the health of their families and rightly expect to be able to be tested and treated with quality, affordable health care if they get sick, now or in the future. It’s time for President Trump and Republicans in Congress to do what’s right and drop their Texas lawsuit to repeal the ACA and end their support for junk plans that don’t include protections for pre-existing conditions.”

BACKGROUND:

Protect Our Care Is Calling on Congress to Address the Following in COVID-4

Provide Adequate Testing to Mitigate the Crisis and Give Us the Tools to Safely Reopen the Economy 

Congress should fund sufficient testing capacity, production and deployment to slow the spread of the virus by identifying those who are sick and contagious, sufficient capacity to test for the virus to allow identification and contact tracing to mitigate spread as the economy reopens, and sufficient testing for antibodies to guide public health decisions on reopening the economy. It should require adequate reporting requirements to track the status of the federal effort in real time. It should also fund adequate PPE for front line health care workers. 

Medicaid Expansion

Congress should incentivize Medicaid expansion so that more people are covered. Congress should incentivize the states that have yet to expand Medicaid by increasing the federal share of the cost so that any states that choose to expand Medicaid get a second chance to receive the same levels of federal funding as states which expanded earlier. 

Additional Support for State Medicaid Programs 

Congress should provide additional assistance to states by extending and expanding the increase in federal Medicaid match that was included in the Families First law and providing that increase for both traditional and expansion Medicaid populations. 

Special Enrollment Period (SEP) and Full Funding for SEP and Future Open Enrollment Periods 

Congress should open a Special Enrollment Period nationally so people who need health coverage can sign up on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. Additionally, restore full funding for enrollment activities, which has been curtailed by the Trump administration, including for navigators, outreach and advertising so that Americans are aware of their options and get the help and information they need to enroll in Medicaid or the ACA marketplaces.

Address Racial Disparities 

Congress should mandate the collection and dissemination of data on coronavirus cases by racial and ethnic outcomes, and ensure that testing and other health measures reach those who need it.

Make Health Insurance More Affordable 

Congress should increase financial assistance for those who qualify under the Affordable Care Act and expand the number of people who qualify.

Leading Health Care Group Says Medicaid Expansion, Special Enrollment Period, Addressing Racial Disparities, Coverage Affordability, Banning Junk Plans and Funding Testing and PPE Among Priorities Which Must Be Addressed in Next Coronavirus Response Package 

Washington, DC — Protect Our Care (POC), a leading health care advocacy group which was founded to defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to provide affordable and quality health care for all Americans, is calling on Congress to include critical health care provisions in the next coronavirus response package. While the first three response packages focused primarily on economic issues, POC believes the next package must also focus clearly on protecting the health of Americans. Specifically, POC believes adequately funding testing, supporting Medicaid expansion and a Special Enrollment Period for the uninsured, addressing racial disparities, making coverage more affordable, banning junk plans, stopping the Trump-ACA repeal lawsuit and adequately safeguarding health care workers are among the health care priorities which must be addressed in the next package. Many of these provisions were included in a recent proposal by U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Richard Neal (D-MA), and Bobby Scott (D-VA) and U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Patty Murray (D-WA).

“Americans are understandably worried about their health and the health of their families during this crisis and expect to be able to be tested and treated with quality affordable health care if they get sick,” said Leslie Dach, Chair of Protect Our Care. “But right now far too many Americans can’t afford to see a doctor and aren’t getting the care they need, which is why Congress must take action to lower costs and expand access at a time when people need it most. Americans are now suffering because of President Trump and Republicans in Congress’s relentless opposition to common sense health care reform and their ongoing efforts to gut Medicaid and repeal and sabotage the Affordable Care Act. It’s time they did what was right.” 

“Making sure our economy survives and that workers, small businesses and providers are taken care of is obviously critical, but we won’t emerge from this until we address critical health care needs including coverage, affordability and testing, to just name a few,” added Brad Woodhouse, Executive Director of Protect Our Care. “America was less prepared for this pandemic because of President Trump’s relentless war on health care and as a result we are playing catch up during a full blown health care crisis. Setting aside President Trump’s failure to prepare America for this health care calamity, Congress must address these critical coronavirus health care priorities now.”

Protect Our Care Is Calling on Congress to Address the Following in COVID-4

Provide Adequate Testing to Mitigate the Crisis and Give Us the Tools to Safely Reopen the Economy 

Congress should fund sufficient testing capacity, production and deployment to slow the spread of the virus by identifying those who are sick and contagious, sufficient capacity to test for the virus to allow identification and contact tracing to mitigate spread as the economy reopens, and sufficient testing for antibodies to guide public health decisions on reopening the economy. It should require adequate reporting requirements to track the status of the federal effort in real time. It should also fund adequate PPE for front line health care workers. 

Medicaid Expansion

Congress should incentivize Medicaid expansion so that more people are covered. Congress should incentivize the states that have yet to expand Medicaid by increasing the federal share of the cost so that any states that choose to expand Medicaid get a second chance to receive the same levels of federal funding as states which expanded earlier. 

Additional Support for State Medicaid Programs 

Congress should provide additional assistance to states by extending and expanding the increase in federal Medicaid match that was included in the Families First law and providing that increase for both traditional and expansion Medicaid populations. 

Special Enrollment Period (SEP) and Full Funding for SEP and Future Open Enrollment Periods 

Congress should open a Special Enrollment Period nationally so people who need health coverage can sign up on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. Additionally, restore full funding for enrollment activities, which has been curtailed by the Trump administration, including for navigators, outreach and advertising so that Americans are aware of their options and get the help and information they need to enroll in Medicaid or the ACA marketplaces.

Address Racial Disparities 

Congress should mandate the collection and dissemination of data on coronavirus cases by racial and ethnic outcomes, and ensure that testing and other health measures reach those who need it.

Make Health Insurance More Affordable 

Congress should increase financial assistance for those who qualify under the Affordable Care Act and expand the number of people who qualify.

End Junk Plans 

Congress should block efforts by the administration to push junk insurance plans that discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. Every American who has coronavirus, even if they don’t have symptoms, will now have a pre-existing condition.

Stop the Trump-Texas Lawsuit 

Congress should block funding for the Trump-Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Affordable Care Act. 

Allow Young Adults to Stay on Their Parent’s Health Care Plans Longer

Young adults should be able to stay on their parent’s plan past the age of 26 during the pandemic, given the difficult job market.

Washington, DC — In response to President Trump announcing at his White House press briefing that he would halt funding to the World Health Organization, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach, who served as the global Ebola coordinator for the Department of Health and Human Services, issued the following statement: 

“This is nothing more than a transparent attempt by President Trump to distract from his history downplaying the severity of the coronavirus crisis and his administration’s failure to prepare our nation. To be sure, the World Health Organization is not without fault but it is beyond irresponsible to cut its funding at the height of a global pandemic. This move will undoubtedly make Americans less safe. 

“What’s more: it’s especially hypocritical given that Trump himself has repeatedly praised China as cases were popping up across the globe.”

Call Highlighted Critical Role Medicaid Expansion Plays in Getting More Americans Access to Care During This Crisis

Call Audio Available Here

Washington, DC — Today, Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) along with Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX-32), former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt and Protect Our Care held a press call to discuss the overwhelming benefits of Medicaid and why Medicaid expansion is needed now more than ever as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis. April is Medicaid Awareness Month, and there has never been a more important time to highlight the role Medicaid plays in covering more than 900,000 Alabamians, 4 million Texans and 70 million Americans, and how Medicaid expansion is pivotal to covering more Americans, especially as this crisis puts our health and safety at risk. 

“The health crisis caused by the spread of COVID-19 has revealed how urgent it is for states like Alabama to expand Medicaid,” said Senator Jones. “We should be making it easier for folks to access the health care they need, especially in these unprecedented times. I’m grateful to Protect Our Care for continuing to bring attention to the importance of Medicaid expansion and increasing access to health care coverage.”

“This crisis has made it clearer than ever that Medicaid expansion is long overdue,” said Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32). “Our health care system has sadly failed too many Texans and our state suffers with the highest uninsured rate in the country. In the long term, expansion will help create jobs and help as we rebuild our economy. This is not a partisan issue, and I will keep fighting to increase access and lower costs across the board.” 

“It’s time for us to forget the battles of the last decade and focus on keeping people healthy in this critical moment and in the future,” said former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt. “Senator Jones and Congressman Allred have the right idea on Medicaid because they are focused on putting people ahead of politics.”

“Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of Americans, and its importance has never been more clear as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis that threatens everyone’s health and safety,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Medicaid is a critical component of America’s ability to keep Americans healthy, and we are grateful for leaders in Congress like Senator Jones and Congressman Allred who are fighting every day to expand Medicaid so that people get access to the care they need during this crisis.”

BACKGROUND: 

If each of the 14 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid were to fully do so, they would see significant coverage gains: 

• 377,000 Alabamians would gain coverage.
• 1,596,000 Floridians would gain coverage.
• 885,000 Georgians would gain coverage.
• 165,000 Kansans would gain coverage.
• 266,000 Mississippians would gain coverage.
• 438,000 Missourians would gain coverage.
• 692,000 North Carolinians would gain coverage.
• 299,000 Oklahomans would gain coverage.
• 379,000 South Carolinians would gain coverage.
• 50,000 South Dakotans would gain coverage.
• 390,000 Tennesseans would gain coverage.
• 2,070,000 Texans would gain coverage.
• 158,000 Wisconsinites would gain coverage.
• 32,000 Wyomingites would gain coverage.

For more information on the importance of Medicaid expansion, see Protect Our Care’s latest report: Medicaid Expansion, A Critical Part Of America’s Response to the Coronavirus, Is Under Threat From President Trump.

Protect Our Care Releases New Report as Part of Medicaid Awareness Month on Importance of Medicaid Expansion During Coronavirus Crisis 

Read the Report Here

Washington, DC — Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report as part of Medicaid Awareness Month on the overwhelming benefits of Medicaid expansion and the critical role of the program for Americans as the country grapples with coronavirus. The report points out how the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on Medicaid and state Republicans’ refusal to implement expansion puts Americans’ health and safety at risk during this crisis. 

Report: Medicaid Expansion, A Critical Part of America’s Response to the Coronavirus, Is Under Threat From President Trump

“Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of Americans, and its importance has never been more clear as America grapples with the coronavirus crisis that threatens everyone’s health and safety,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “Medicaid is a critical component of America’s ability to keep Americans healthy and get them access to care during this crisis, and President Trump and Republicans continue to put lives at risk through their efforts to sabotage Medicaid and refusal to implement expansion.”

People of color are experiencing higher rates of coronavirus, and preliminary data shows they are more likely to die from the disease. People of color are less likely to be insured, one of many barriers to helping them access quality health care. This grim news comes as President Trump continues to reject common sense measures to help reduce these disparities, such as opening a special enrollment period or encouraging holdout states to expand Medicaid during this crisis. 

Washington Post: The Coronavirus Is Infecting And Killing Black Americans At An Alarmingly High Rate. “As the novel coronavirus sweeps across the United States, it appears to be infecting and killing black Americans at a disproportionately high rate, according to a Washington Post analysis of early data from jurisdictions across the country….A Post analysis of available data and census demographics shows that counties that are majority-black have three times the rate of infections and almost six times the rate of deaths as counties where white residents are in the majority.” [Washington Post, 4/7/20] 

Politico: Health Professionals Warn Of ‘Explosion’ Of Coronavirus Cases In Minority Communities. “Covid-19 has pushed to the forefront longtime health disparities among black, brown, Native American and other minority populations in the country. Health professionals have warned that black and Latino populations are at potentially greater risk of severe illness from the coronavirus, due to prevalent comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and asthma. Minority groups are also less likely to have health insurance, complicating their ability and willingness to seek treatment for illnesses.” [Politico, 4/6/20] 

New York Times: Black Americans Face Alarming Rates Of Coronavirus Infection In Some States. “For many public health experts, the reasons behind the disparities are not difficult to explain, the result of longstanding structural inequalities. At a time when the authorities have advocated staying home as the best way to avoid the virus, black Americans disproportionately belong to part of the work force that does not have the luxury of working from home, experts said. That places them at high risk for contracting the highly infectious disease in transit or at work…Longstanding inequalities also make African-Americans less likely to be insured, and more likely to have existing health conditions and face racial bias that prevents them from getting proper treatment.” [New York Times, 4/7/20] 

The Hill: Black, Latino Communities Suffering Disproportionately From Coronavirus, Statistics Show. “Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, noted that Latinos are disproportionately affected by conditions like heart disease and diabetes and are already more likely to lack access to health care. “ [The Hill, 4/7/20] 

Vox: Covid-19 Is Disproportionately Taking Black Lives. “‘It’s almost like structural racism has made black people sick,’ Uché Blackstock, an emergency medicine physician in Brooklyn and the founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, an organization that fights health care inequity, tells Vox…According to Blackstock, the pandemic is exposing a deep-rooted system of the haves and have-nots. It’s also displaying how black and brown people have a more tenuous existence in New York City since they lack job security, sick leave, and health insurance. They must ride public transportation to get to work on the front lines, many of them driving the buses themselves or cleaning the hospitals where they are directly at risk.” [Vox, 4/7/20] 

Axios: Coronavirus Hits Poor, Minority Communities Harder. “A slew of pre-existing disparities are contributing to this coronavirus disparity…Lower-income workers are less likely to have health insurance. They’re also less likely to be able to work from home, and therefore more likely to have to keep going to work and putting themselves at risk.” [Axios, 4/4/20] 

Kaiser Health News: Long-Standing Racial And Income Disparities Seen Creeping Into COVID-19 Care. “The biotech data firm Rubix Life Sciences, based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, reviewed recent billing information in several states and found that an African American with symptoms like cough and fever was less likely to be given one of the scarce coronavirus tests. Delays in diagnosis and treatment can be harmful, especially for racial or ethnic minority groups that have higher rates of certain diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease. Those chronic illnesses can lead to more severe cases of COVID-19.” [Kaiser Health News, 4/6/20] 

BACKGROUND:

Medicaid Expansion Helps Reduce Racial Disparities. Medicaid expansion played a key role in increasing coverage rates for communities of color. After the implementation of the ACA, gaps in insurance coverage narrowed the most in states that adopted Medicaid expansion. Today, a black person living in an expansion state is more likely to be insured than a white person residing in a state that rejected Medicaid expansion. Study after study showed that expansion improved health care outcomes for communities of color. 

A Special Enrollment Period Would Help Communities Of Color. People of color are far more likely to work in low-wage jobs that don’t provide health coverage. As millions of Americans are losing their jobs during this crisis, a special enrollment period would not only help those who lost employer-based insurance sign-up for coverage without onerous paperwork requirements, but it would also ensure those who were uninsured before the crisis gain comprehensive coverage. People with insurance are more likely to see a doctor when they are sick, and they are protected from steep medical bills that they could incur from coronavirus. 

Protect Our Care Held a Press Call to Discuss How President Trump’s Refusal to Open a Special ACA Enrollment Period Puts Millions of Americans at Risk 

Press Call Audio

Washington, DC — On a press call this morning, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt along with Protect Our Care urged President Trump to open a special enrollment period to allow uninsured Americans to access health coverage under the ACA during the coronavirus crisis. So far, President Trump has refused to open a special ACA marketplace to allow the uninsured to purchase health insurance during the crisis, despite calls from health insurers and lawmakers to do so to slow the spread of the virus and save American lives.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced politicians and government officials of all political stripes to think outside the box, work together and set-aside rigid partisanship. The health, safety and well-being of all Americans must come first,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). “A special open enrollment period wouldn’t be a heavy lift for the Trump administration yet it would give millions of Americans access to health care coverage during the worst global pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu. This is a time for national unity and bipartisanship, not narrow ideological agendas. It’s time for the Trump administration to move past its opposition to the ACA and the lifesaving health care coverage that it provides, and do what’s right for public health and safety.” 

“Nothing shows how important it is for all of our neighbors to have the health care they need then a pandemic,” said former CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt. “And yet, somehow, Trump still opposes the ACA’s insurance protections and pre-existing conditions protections.”

“President Trump is putting American lives at risk by refusing to allow the 27 million uninsured Americans the choice to get affordable health insurance through the Affordable Care Act at a time when people need health care the most,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Millions of uninsured Americans are facing unprecedented threats to their health due to coronavirus and the possibility of devastating health care bills, and still President Trump is blocking them from accessing affordable coverage through the ACA marketplace. If President Trump were serious about protecting the health and safety of the American people, he would immediately open enrollment and end his disastrous lawsuit that would rip health care away from 20 million Americans during a crisis.” 

BACKGROUND: 

Trump’s Sabotage Of The ACA Leaves The U.S. Less Prepared For Coronavirus

• Trump Is Backing A Lawsuit That Could Rip Away Coverage From 20 Million People In The Middle Of The Outbreak. The Trump administration is currently backing a lawsuit that overturn the Affordable Care Act and, if they are successful, 20 million people would lose insurance overnight. The lawsuit also threatens protections for 135 million with pre-existing conditions. This means that anyone who contracts coronavirus – a potential pre-existing condition – could be charged more or denied coverage altogether by insurance companies. 
• Trump’s Texas Lawsuit And Other Efforts To Repeal The ACA Would Cut Key Funding From The CDC. GOP repeal bills would have eliminated the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund. In 2017, the Washington Post reported that this fund “provides almost $1 billion annually to CDC, now about 12 percent of CDC’s budget. It includes prevention of bioterrorism and disease outbreaks, as well as money to provide immunizations and heart-disease screenings.” The Trump administration is currently supporting a lawsuit that could repeal the ACA in its entirety, and there is no plan to maintain this funding if the courts overturn the health care law. 
• Trump Is Pushing Short-Term Junk Plans That Would Not Need To Cover Coronavirus Treatment. Junk plans do not need to comply with the consumer protections established by the Affordable Care Act, including coverage of essential health benefits. The expansion of junk plans under Trump has already led to reports of patients receiving thousands of dollars in unexpected medical bills: In February, a Florida man covered by Trump-backed short-term plan discovered he “may owe thousands” after he sought a test for coronavirus.
• Efforts To Undermine Medicaid Expansion Threaten Coverage For Millions. In addition to seeking to repeal the health care law altogether, Trump has proposed measures that specifically target the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid. The administration has encouraged states to impose illegal work requirements on the expansion population that are designed to throw people off coverage. Additionally, under the Trump administration’s proposed block grant, federal funding would no longer necessarily increase in response to a public health emergency. This could lead to people losing coverage and access to care, undermining prevention and treatment of diseases nationwide.
• Thanks In Part To His Sabotage Of The ACA, The Uninsured Rate Is Rising Under Trump. Between cutting funding for education and outreach to imposing Medicaid work requirements, Trump has made it harder to enroll in coverage. Uninsured individuals are far less likely to seek medical treatment when they are sick. At least 7 million people have already lost coverage under Trump, and experts warn that recent enactment of anti-immigration policies will only serve to deter more people from gaining coverage and seeking medical treatment.

Washington, DC – The Supreme Court announced Friday that opening briefs for petitioners in Texas v. United States, the Trump-Republican lawsuit to overturn the ACA will be due on May 6. This announcement means that President Trump’s determination to rip health care away from 20 million Americans will be on full display during the coronavirus crisis and just months before the November election. In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement: 

“This announcement means that President Trump’s lawsuit to rip health care away from 20 million Americans and protections from 135 million with pre-existing conditions will be front and center as Americans grapple with the coronavirus crisis and months before the November elections. It’s outrageous that when millions of Americans are more concerned than ever about their health and safety, Republicans will be arguing in court why it’s necessary to rip health care away from them when they need it most.” 

Washington, DC — Today, at the daily coronavirus briefing, President Trump once again refused to reopen that ACA marketplaces and instead implied they would be employing a reimbursement scheme that makes little sense and still leaves the uninsured at risk. In response, Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:

“President Trump has once again decided to harm Americans who need health care by refusing to give them access to quality affordable insurance under the ACA. The administration simply refuses to do the right thing and people’s health will suffer. President Trump has the power today to open the ACA marketplaces but instead is proposing a new bureaucracy that requires congressional approval, will likely cost people and the government more money and leave Americans at risk for the costs of non-covid illnesses. Shame on them.”