CMS Administrator doesn’t ease insurers’ concerns on subsidies
Insurance companies that are members of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) made their case to CMS for billions in cost-sharing reduction subsidies under the Affordable Care Act to continue—but left with no promises the administration would maintain funding.
According to the New York Times, CMS Administrator Seema Verma, MPH, offered no reassurance to AHIP members on the subsidies, saying it would be up to the Republican-controlled Congress to appropriate the funds.
Those subsidies could be crucial to keep skittish insurers from leaving the ACA’s exchanges. A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis said if the subsidies are eliminated, insurers would have to raise premiums by an average of 19 percent in 2018.
President Donald Trump has been leaning toward ending the subsidies, the Times reported, and has publicly floated the possibility of using them to pressure congressional Democrats to support some ACA repeal-and-replace plan.
Read more on the CMS meeting with insurers, including what major carriers didn’t participate, at link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.