America’s Frontline Physicians Concerned About Administration’s Plans to Suspend Risk Adjustment Payments

CHICAGO, Illinois, July 11 -- The American Osteopathic Association issued the following news release:

Our organizations, which represent more than 560,000 physicians and medical students, are concerned with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) recent decision to suspend the risk adjustment payments to insurers participating in the individual and small-group marketplaces. These payments are funded by contributions from insurance plans and not from taxpayer dollars. The funds help protect patients by allowing insurers to compete without cherry-picking healthy consumers over those with chronic illnesses and pre-existing conditions.

The suspension of risk adjustment payments could lead to significant premium increases across the country - resulting in families, especially those with chronic health conditions and pre-existing conditions, losing their health care coverage due to insurer departures from the market or the inability to afford coverage. This decision contradicts the Administration's pledge to provide individuals and families with more options to secure affordable health care coverage.

As physicians who provide the majority of Americans' most essential medical care, we can attest to the importance of ensuring that the people who need care the most are able to secure affordable health care coverage. We remain committed to working with the Administration and Congress to improve our nation's health care system. Stabilizing our health care system and lowering the overall cost of health care is part of our mission, and should remain the focus of the Administration in addressing health care.

We strongly urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reverse its decision to halt the risk adjustment payments, and to instead pursue innovative policy solutions that improve affordability for all individuals.