Statement by Congressman John Garamendi President Trump’s Actions to Destabilize American Health Care Markets

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Davis, Yuba City, CA) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s recent actions to destabilize American Health Care markets and raise prices on consumers:

“Trump’s actions are purposely designed to destroy the health insurance systems that millions of Americans depend on. It is heartless and spiteful, and serves no purpose other than harming Americans as a political negotiating tactic.”

“Eliminating cost-sharing reduction payments will make premiums soar by 20 percent, and force insurers to abandon entire counties. And it won’t even save the government any money: the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not making these payments will cost taxpayers nearly $200 billion over 10 years. President Trump is literally spending hundreds of billions of dollars to drive prices up for middle class Americans.”

“Furthermore, President Trump’s Executive Order will create unregulated, fly-by-night TrumpCare plans with few protections and little actual coverage. These junk plans won’t cover essential health benefits, but they may be tempting to younger, healthy Americans—until they find out that it isn’t actually there for them when they need it. In the meantime, these plans could split the risk pool a healthy insurance market depends on, driving up costs for Americans who are older and have pre-existing conditions. When I was California Insurance Commissioner, I fought against the abuses of these fly-by-night plans that took people’s money but weren’t there to provide coverage when they were needed. Promoting these shoddy plans will not bring security to American healthcare.”

“I never thought I would see the day when an American president intentionally made life worse for the American people just to browbeat Congress into submitting to his political agenda. But that is literally what President Trump has done.”