On Friday, the Trump administration finalized a rule that further erodes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and hikes costs for the American people. The rule pushes people into plans that don’t cover them when they get sick, raises their costs, and throws people off their coverage. Trump and Republicans in Congress already cut $1 trillion from Medicaid and the ACA in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires. They also eliminated tax credits for hardworking families, jacking up costs by thousands of dollars. The new Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters rule will only make matters worse. It is no surprise that Trump is reaching historic levels of disapproval on health care. Trump’s new rule will fan the flames of the nationwide affordability crisis:
The Trump Administration’s New Rule:
- Pushes families towards plans that force them to pay an average of $10,000 before insurers pay a single dollar, replacing their once affordable, high-quality coverage options with plans that make them pay an arm and a leg.
- Forces Americans who buy insurance on their own to pay more for less care by raising out-of-pocket maximums and effectively cutting benefits at a time families are already struggling to afford their premiums and deductibles.
- Add miles of red tape designed to throw people off coverage, reintroducing measures that were already stayed by a court since they likely violated federal statute.
- Drops consumer protections requiring insurers to offer a network of providers, and allows no-network plans that force sick people to negotiate prices with providers.
- Makes it harder for people to choose the right plan by making it difficult to make apples to apples comparisons by eliminating standardized plans.
GOP Premium Hikes Already:
- Doubled and tripled premiums for millions of hardworking Americans, including small business owners, farmers, and older adults.
- Robbed millions of people who bought insurance on their own of health coverage.
- Ripped zero-dollar premiums away from 11 million low-income Americans.
- Eliminated tax credits entirely from over one million middle class Americans.
- Raised deductibles by an average of 37 percent for people buying insurance on their own.
- Funneled millions of families into reduced coverage that will force them to pay thousands more each year in health care costs.
- Pressured countless families to cut back on food, clothing, and other basics to afford health insurance and greater out-of-pocket costs.