Florida Latest State to Increase Premiums Because of Trump Sabotage

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release:

Trump and Republicans' health care sabotage is increasing the number of uninsured Americans and causing premiums to skyrocket across the country. But Democrats are fighting back. That is why voters overwhelmingly trust Democrats over Republicans and Trump on health care.

Democrats are fighting back against Trump's junk insurance plans, which could drive up premiums for ACA-compliant plans and make quality care less accessible.

The Hill: "Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) on Wednesday introduced a measure to overturn a Trump administration rule expanding access to non-ObamaCare insurance plans."

Associated Press: "Democrats will try forcing a campaign-season vote on blocking a Trump administration rule letting insurers sell short-term plans that are cheaper but skimpier than allowed under the Obama health care law, party leaders said Thursday."

Trump's health care sabotage has already led to skyrocketing premium increases in markets across the country. See for yourself:

FLORIDA: Florida insurers finalized rate increases by nearly 1o percent for some plans because of Trump administration sabotage.

Washington Examiner: "Florida finalized an average rate hike for Obamacare plans of 5.2 percent Wednesday, with insurers blaming the Trump administration as the reason for the spike. The insurance department released the final rates on Wednesday, with some plans getting a hike of as high as nearly 10 percent, and others experiencing a decline of as much as 1.5 percent."

INDIANA: Indiana insurers are requesting double-digit premium increases on average as a result of Trump and Republican sabotage.

Indianapolis Star: "The Trump administration argues it wants to give consumers more choices, including going without coverage and buying cheaper plans that don't include all the benefits required by the Affordable Care Act. Insurance companies say that will pull the healthier people out of the Obamacare market, leaving them with a more expensive pool of patients to cover next year. By contrast, CareSource says it could cut premiums by 10 percent if all the young and healthy Hoosiers eligible for Obamacare plans sign up next year. Instead, CareSource is seeking an average 10 percent increase in premiums, according to its rate request recently filed with the Indiana Department of Insurance."

KENTUCKY: Kentucky insurers requested premium rate increases of as much as nearly 20 percent.

WYMT: "CareSource submitted a request for a rate increase of 19.4 percent for 12 plan offerings."

NEW YORK: New York insurers requested premium increases averaging 24 percent in the individual market.

Syracuse.com: "Many New York health insurers who sell individual policies say they will need double-digit premium increases next year because of the Trump administration's repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate penalty. Fourteen insurers serving the individual market have filed 2019 rate hike requests with the state Department of Financial Services averaging 24 percent."

WASHINGTON: Washington health insurers proposed a 19 percent average individual rate increase.

Washington Examiner: "Health insurers are asking Washington state regulators to allow them to raise the price of Obamacare premiums in 2019 by an average of 19 percent. [....] State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler blamed the Trump administration's changes to Obamacare for the increases."

RHODE ISLAND: Rhode Island insurers requested double-digit premium hikes.

WPRI: "Rhode Island's commercial health insurers are hoping to increase rates by double-digits next year in some cases, according to the R.I. Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner."

VERMONT: Vermont insurers have requested annual rate increases of up to 10.9 percent.

Vermont Business: "Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) is requesting an average annual rate increase of 7.5% over 2018 rates, while MVP Health Care (MVP) is requesting a 10.9% average annual rate increase."

OREGON: Oregon insurers requested average premium rate hikes of up to 14.3 percent.

Portland Tribune: "Oregonians who buy their own health coverage will see significant premium hikes, as carriers react to Trump administration changes and rising health care costs. Federal subsidies hold down premiums for about half of Oregonians. But for others, the state's three largest carriers, Providence, Kaiser and Moda, have proposed average rate hikes ranging from 6.4 percent to 14.3 percent in the individual market."

VIRGINIA: Virginia insurers are requesting significant premium hikes, by as much as 64 percent.

The Hill: "Two of Virginia's ObamaCare insurers are requesting significant premium hikes for 2019, according to initial filings released Friday. Both Cigna and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield cited policies advocated by the Trump administration, 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."

MARYLAND: Maryland health insurers have requested massive premium increases, by an average rate of 30 percent.

Washington Post Wonkblog: "CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield requested an 18.5 percent increase on the HMO plans used by the vast majority of its individual plan members -- and a whopping, 91.4 percent increase on its PPO plans. Kaiser Permanente requested a 37.4 percent increase on its HMO plans. The average rate increase requested, across insurers and plans, was 30 percent."