Raimondo: Ending health-care subsidies ‘cruel, immoral’

Oct. 14--President Donald Trump's decision to immediately end subsidy payments to insurers will affect health coverage of roughly 17,000 Rhode Islanders, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Friday.

In a brief Facebook Live address, the governor called Trump's actions cruel, immoral and unnecessary. She said she has directed teams at HealthSource RI and the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner to "take every measure possible to minimize the impact on Rhode Island families."

Raimondo said the president is putting Rhode Islanders' lives at risk by forcing people to choose between health insurance and groceries. The subsidies help lower costs for people with lower incomes.

Meanwhile on Friday, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island said it will cover the cost of the subsidies through the end of 2017.

Members will see no change in their 2017 premiums or benefits, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island reimburses providers for out-of-pocket expenses covered by the so-called cost-sharing subsides, and until now it has received monthly payments from the federal government.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island is working with the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner to implement a contingency plan for 2018.

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