FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 13, 2017

Contact: Allie Aguilera, allie.aguilera@younginvincibles.org, 202.734.6529

Trump Administration’s Refusal to Make CSR Payments Will Increase Premiums & the Number of Uninsured

[WASHINGTON]–Last night, the Trump Administration announced that it would cease making Cost-Sharing Reduction payments (CSRs), which help insurers lower enrollees’ out-of-pocket costs. Young Invincibles’ Strategic Campaigns Director Colin Seeberger released the following statement responding to the announcement:

“The Trump Administration’s decision to no longer make CSR payments is a slap in the face to hardworking Americans who will see their premiums go up an extra 20 percent next year and in some cases lose their health insurance altogether. These payments are crucial not only for the roughly 60 percent of marketplace enrollees who are eligible — including 2.7 million young adults currently on the individual market, but indirectly impact all marketplace shoppers. Having seen their net worth drop 56 percent in the last quarter century, young adults are even less able to absorb health care cost increases than other age groups.

At last month’s Senate HELP Committee hearings, nearly all twenty witnesses told Congress that making CSR payments was the most important thing that could be done to bring stability to the market and prevent unnecessary premium increases.

Republicans in Congress must make clear that it is unacceptable for the President of the United States to intentionally sow chaos in the health care system by passing a clean mandatory appropriation of CSR funding through FY2019. These payments are already built into the federal budget baseline and would not require additional spending. Now it is up to Congress to demonstrate it has the will to get this done and work on behalf of the American people, not the President.”

###