Virginia Democrats weigh in on Trump’s sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare.”
Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order designed to undermine the Affordable Care Act pic.twitter.com/KVGHFjKsqf
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) October 12, 2017
STATEMENT: Dr. Ralph Northam On Trump’s Healthcare Executive Order
Richmond — After months of uncertainty, the White House yesterday announced that it would end key cost-sharing subsidies made to insurers who participate in the Affordable Care Act. The payments reimburse insurers for lowering out-of-pocket costs for customers, and ending them could destabilize the Affordable Care Act and U.S. insurance market, putting one-sixth of the economy at risk. The announcement follows an executive order allowing insurers to offer plans without protections for people with preexisting conditions, flouting an ACA requirement.
Dr. Ralph Northam today released the following statement in response to the president’s deliberate move to destabilize the Affordable Care Act and the coverage it provides to Virginians:
“President Trump needs to look into his heart and find a way to help millions of Americans preserve their access to quality and affordable healthcare. His deliberate effort to undermine the Affordable Care Act and destabilize the insurance market is unconscionable as it is putting lives at risk.
“As a doctor, I am floored by this action to end the cost sharing subsidies that have put quality healthcare within reach for millions of Americans who didn’t have it before. Once again, we are staring down the possibility that people will be forced to choose between their health and putting food on the table. Healthcare is a right. No individual or family should be one medical illness from financial demise.
“For too long, Republican leaders have allowed President Trump to play politics with people’s lives. No more. It is time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to put a stop to the uncertainty and work on stabilizing and building on the Affordable Care Act’s progress.
“I am calling on Ed Gillespie to join me in fighting for the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of Virginians who are once again facing the threat of losing their coverage for the scoring of political points. Virginians deserve a leader who will fight policies detrimental to this commonwealth. I urge him to join me in pushing President Trump to empathize for the Virginians and Americans who are jeopardized by this action, before it is too late.”
Donald Trump is driving up premiums for Americans, intentionally. He is sabotaging the US healthcare system. https://t.co/vdcc4G40Tl
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) October 13, 2017
More expensive healthcare and fewer benefits is nobody’s definition of “great.”
Everyone will know that Trump sabotaged their healthcare. https://t.co/70YYDNu94p
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) October 13, 2017
Sabotage that will hurt lower-income individuals. CSRs have bipartisan support. Trump now just hurting people.https://t.co/YA42aO4Y2Z
— Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) October 13, 2017
Trumpcare EO is latest act of sabotage on ACA that will threaten coverage of pre-existing conditions and increase costs.
— Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) October 12, 2017
Trumpcare EO is latest act of sabotage on ACA that will threaten coverage of pre-existing conditions and increase costs.
— Gerry Connolly (@GerryConnolly) October 12, 2017
More Donald McEachin:
“I am at a loss for words. For the second time in 24 hours, President Trump has made it abundantly clear that he is actively undermining and reducing access to quality, affordable health care for his own political gain. These reckless acts of sabotage will cause needless suffering and deaths.”
After months of ambiguity regarding cost-sharing reduction (CSR) subsidies, news sources reported late Thursday that the Trump administration would no longer fund those subsidies – payments to health insurance companies to help lower copayments and out-of-pocket costs for low-income people. These reports came hours after President Trump signed an executive order aimed at undermining insurance marketplaces by expanding the availability of bare-bones health insurance policies with stingier coverage and fewer consumer protections.
“Terminating CSR subsidies will drive up costs and reduce choice – not just for those who receive them, but for anyone who buys coverage in an individual marketplace. This legally questionable move will cause a double-digit percentage increase in premiums, forcing families to pay more for care. It will force insurers out of some markets entirely, leaving Americans with no remaining on-exchange options.
“This president is hurting hard-working Americans out of spite and political self-interest. I am appalled; I will do everything I can to secure a permanent legislative fix that ends his ability to hold families hostage.”
Sen. Tim Kaine
“It’s outrageous that an American President is deliberately raising health care costs on people across the country out of a blind opposition to the ACA. President Trump’s decision to end the CSR payments will cause families’ premiums to skyrocket and could drive insurers out of the marketplace, leaving Virginians with bigger bills and fewer insurance options. Combined with his order yesterday that tries to take us back to a system that discriminates against people with pre-existing conditions, women, and older Americans, President Trump is causing unneeded pain and anxiety for Virginia families. Congress should immediately pass a bill to undo the President’s damage and work on bipartisan solutions to improve health care for all Americans.”
President Trump appears willing to raise premiums for countless Americans just to try to blow up the ACA. This is cruel. https://t.co/vpCGrfzdts
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) October 13, 2017
Many of my GOP colleagues have said POTUS should make these payments. It’s time we immediately pass bipartisan legislation to continue them.
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) October 13, 2017
Make no mistake: this is #sabotage that will destabilize the insurance market and undermine protections for pre-existing conditions. https://t.co/y7Djdl7F8W
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) October 12, 2017
Sabotaging the ACA isn’t an abstract Beltway issue. It’s a real-life issue for millions of Americans who will pay more for worse healthcare. https://t.co/oHy7fhiN8F
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) October 12, 2017
Unbelievable how far Trump will go to undermine healthcare system & raise costs on those w/ pre-existing conditions. https://t.co/htd8veAD0T
— Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) October 12, 2017
13th House of Delegates district Democratic nominee Danica Roem
In 2014, Delegate Bob Marshall (R-13) signed on to a lawsuit to kill the Affordable Care Act and all of its coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, four years after he misled the public about the law itself.
This year, Del. Marshall voted against expanding Medicaid to cover 3,700 of his uninsured constituents who earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line (less than $18K a year), which forces parents and single adults alike to have to choose between neglecting their health care and a pile of debt, while we send billions of dollars to the federal government that we don’t receive back.
Delegate Marshall endorsed Donald Trump last year in an op-ed for ConservativeHQ, in which he made the conservative case for electing him, and evencampaigned for him.
And Del. Marshall still supports President Trump, saying earlier this year, “I support the president on this issue” when he tried to strip health care coverage and the ability to service from members of the military who are transgender.
Through his actions as a legislator and his rhetoric as a politician, Del. Marshall has enabled the president of the United States to threaten affordable health care coverage for millions of people across the country, include many here in Virginia.
Del. Marshall’s policies and politics mirror those of President Trump, which harm Virginia families, individual Virginians and our commonwealth’s economic security.
As the Democratic nominee for the 13th District of the Virginia House of Delegates, I’ll work relentlessly throughout the next 3.5 weeks to soundly defeat Del. Marshall so the people of the 13th District will be represented by a delegate who will vote to provide quality, affordable health insurance to families and individuals who need a helping hand.
As delegate, I’ll vocally oppose any effort from the federal government to make affordable, quality health insurance even more out of reach.
And as delegate, I’ll work here in Virginia to make sure the next Democratic presidential nominee soundly defeats President Trump.
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