Dear Neighbor,

This week, the Congressional Budget Office released their latest estimates on Trumpcare. They found that due to intentional sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, the number of uninsured Americans over the next decade will rise to 34 million people and premiums will go up another 15% between 2018 and 2019.

The news is even worse here in Virginia. A recent study found that Virginia health insurance premiums could increase by $1,312 this year. According to The Hill newspaper, insurance companies are citing the repeal of the individual mandate for these increases:

“Both Cigna and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield cited policies advocated by the [White House], including the repeal of ObamaCare's individual mandate, as part of its justifications for the increases.

Cigna is proposing an average premium increase of 15 percent for its 103,264 customers in Virginia, with a range of increases from 6.4 percent to 40 percent.

CareFirst is proposing a 64 percent increase for its approximately 4,500 customers in the commonwealth, citing an increase in sicker people entering the marketplace.”

Now we have both the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office and the insurance companies saying rates will increase because of attacks on the Affordable Care Act. This includes the repeal of the individual mandate, elimination of cost-sharing reduction payments, and the adoption of short-term plans. And because the Trump administration will allow so-called “junk plans,” Virginians are going to be paying even more for less coverage.

The Affordable Care Act drove down Virginia’s uninsured rate by 1.7% between 2013 and 2016. However, under the Trump administration the uninsured rate increased from 9.8% to 10.9% from 2016 to 2017 and premiums are skyrocketing.

We deserve better. I have consistently opposed efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act because I know it is saving lives and expanding access to health insurance.

There are improvements that can and should be adopted, but sabotaging and repealing the law is not the answer. We need to extend the risk-mitigation program that promotes market certainty and ensures insurance companies continue to participate in the marketplaces. We need to search for ways to encourage younger Americans to join the marketplaces. And we should help states like Virginia expand Medicaid coverage.

Please know I will continue to fight these attacks on our health care system.

Sincerely,

Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress