Brown on Latest CBO Score: President Must Work with Republicans, Democrats to Stabilize Health Insurance Market

Independent Congressional Scorekeeper Says Costs Could Rise 20 Percent without CSR Payments - Senator Has Bill to Stabilize Market by Making Payments to Insurers Permanent

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called on President Trump to work with Republicans and Democrats to stabilize the insurance market and continue critical payments to Ohio insurers, known as cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, following a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that said ending these payments would cause prices to spike next year. Just last week, Ohio insurers filed new premium requests under the assumption that CSR payments would end. The average premium hikes were as high as 48 percent.

“This report underscores what Ohio insurers have been telling us for months – uncertainty is costing Ohioans their health insurance and increasing costs for working families,” said Brown. “I urge President Trump to end the dangerous game he is playing and work with Democrats and Republicans to make good on these payments and stabilize the market.”

Today’s report from CBO warned that without CSR payments to insurers premiums would rise 20 percent next year and leave some Americans with no insurance options at all.

The Affordable Care Act created CSR payments to reimburse insurers for costs associated with covering lower-income Americans. Uncertainty over whether or not the Administration will continue these payments has forced some insurers – like Anthem – to pull out of Ohio markets.

Brown is cosponsoring a bill that would permanently fund the CSR payments to help stabilize the market. The Republican healthcare bill included a provision to do this, so making these payments permanent could be an area for bipartisan cooperation on healthcare.

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