NEW: Trump plan blamed for potential 20% Florida Blue Obamacare hike
Marketplace leader Florida Blue says it will be back in the state's ACA marketplace in 2018, but company officials said premiums could be 20 higher than they otherwise would be if federal "cost-sharing" help for consumers to cover co-pays and deductibles is discontinued.
Trump has cast doubt on continuing such subsidies by calling them insurer "bailouts," though they have been part of the ACA since its inception and
The
Florida Blue spokesman
The
Insurers face a
If cost-sharing payments end, Trump will be responsible for "the destabilization of the marketplace and the deliberate sabotage of our neighbors' health and financial well-being,"
Trump's
After taking office, the new administration slowed or stopped efforts to promote sign-ups, and
The HHS report showed that 12.2 million individuals selected a plan at the end of open enrollment, and 10.3 million followed through to pay the premiums necessary to maintain coverage as of
"Consumers are sending a clear message that cost and affordability are major factors in their decision to cancel or terminate coverage," said CMS Administrator
In
Ironically, ending the cost-sharing payments has been estimated to increase overall costs to taxpayers by
Making headline rates go up would most hurt the fewer than one in 10 Florida customers who make too much money to qualify for subsidies on marketplace plans.
The way the law works, monthly premiums for more than nine of 10 Florida customers probably will barely budge, staying near
"One popular Republican talking point is the so-called 'implosion' of the Healthcare.gov marketplace," the
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