Baldwin Leads Resolution to Overturn Trump Affordable Care Act Rule that Will Jack Up Costs, Terminate Care for Millions

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) led their colleagues in introducing a resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Trump Administration's rule that will undermine the Affordable Care Act marketplace, terminating coverage for up to two million Americans, raising out-of-pocket costs, and making it easier for insurance companies to cover fewer services. Once introduced, Senator Baldwin can and will force the Senate to vote on this Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to repeal this disastrous rule and protect Americans' coverage.

"For over a decade, Donald Trump and Republicans have worked to gut the Affordable Care Act without any plan to replace it, leaving millions of Americans paying higher costs for worse coverage," said Senator Baldwin. "This misguided rule is part and parcel of that plan, and I'm committed to doing everything I can to stop them from kicking Americans off their health care and lower insurance costs for working families. When Americans buy insurance, they expect the coverage to be there when they need it. But under Trump's rule, families will be shortchanged - getting worse coverage for more of their hard-earned money."

"Since taking office, Trump and Congressional Republicans have repeatedly put billionaires over the American people-dismantling the Affordable Care Act and leaving millions unable to afford life-saving care, all to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations," said Leader Schumer. "If Trump's rule is finalized, it will kick millions off their health insurance, families will face even higher health care costs, and patients will have worse options for care. But Congress can stop it, and I urge my Republican colleagues to do the right thing: vote with us to put patients over profits."

"At every opportunity, Republicans have made Americans' health care more expensive and handed more power to big insurance companies," said Senator Wyden. "Trump's latest attack on affordable health care includes sleazy schemes to let insurance companies sell you plans with sky high deductibles then turn around and offer you a loan to pay for the care you can't afford. This vote will be an opportunity to show American families where each party stands on affordable health care."

The Trump Administration's rule promotes the use of catastrophic health plans with extremely high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, loosens physician network requirements for plans, and proposes that insurers be allowed to offer "non-network" plans that may not cover the cost of care. This would make it easier for insurers to raise out-of-pocket costs, sell new kinds of junk insurance coverage, increase working families' deductibles, cover fewer services, and kick more providers out of network.

The result would be worse coverage at higher costs, including:

• Terminate Insurance for Up to 2M: According to CMS estimates, the rule would reduce enrollment in ACA plans by up to 2 million.
• Jack Up Costs: Insurance would become more unaffordable. For example, bronze plans would have maximum out-of-pocket costs of $15,600 for an individual or $31,200 for a family in 2027 - almost the entire income of an individual earning at the federal poverty level.
• Reduce Benefits: Benefits may be reduced in many states - meaning Americans could lose access to coverage for substance use disorder treatment, hearing aids, or other critical services.
• Increase Red Tape: Paperwork burden would increase on 4.7 million Americans, making it more difficult for them to get the coverage they deserve and kicking millions off their insurance.
• Cut off Americans from their Doctors: Access to providers would decrease as insurance companies sell non-network health plans - with unlimited costs to consumers - and reduce the number of providers in their networks.

The Senators' CRA resolution would repeal this destructive rule under the Congressional Review Act. Repealing this rule would prevent millions of Americans from losing their health insurance, stop working families from facing astronomical out-of-pocket costs, and make it harder for insurance companies to take advantage of Americans by selling them junk insurance.

The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Mark Warner (D-VA). Representatives Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03) also introduced this resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives today.

Senator Baldwin has long pushed back against Republicans' attempts to hollow out the Affordable Care Act and support Americans who rely on the marketplace for coverage. Earlier this year, she led her colleagues in demanding that the Trump Administration reverse course on its harmful proposed rule. Senator Baldwin has long pushed to curb the expansion of junk health insurance plans culminating in the Biden Administration heeding her years-long call to limit the availability of short-term limited duration insurance in 2024.

More information about this resolution is available here. Full text of this resolution is available here.

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