Trump Administration Sabotages Health Care, Nearly Tripling Blue Cross Blue Shield Rate Increases

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina announced today rate hikes on plans under the Affordable Care Act that are driven in large part by continued inaction from the Trump Administration on cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments.

From the BCBS NC press release:

“The lack of funding for cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments drove the majority of the requested increase. The Blue Cross NC requested increase would have been 8.8 percent if CSR subsidies had been fully funded for 2018.”

Essentially, President Trump is sabotaging the healthcare system by ending CSR payments in order to push through a disastrous healthcare bill that the Congressional Budget Office said yesterday would take healthcare away from 23 million people.

“President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ attempt to undermine and sabotage our healthcare system so they can justify their bill that strips healthcare from 23 million people is shameful. Trump and Congressional Republicans own this rate hike and they could fix it right now, but unfortunately they’d rather play politics with people’s healthcare,” said NCDP Executive Director Kimberly Reynolds.