Sens. Carper, Coons Join Resolution Condemning ‘Junk Insurance’ Plans Pushed by the Trump Administration

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 -- The office of Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Delaware, issued the following news release:

Today, U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons (both D-Del.) joined 29 of their colleagues in introducing a resolution that seeks to repeal the Trump administration's rule expanding "junk insurance" plans that don't have to provide health care coverage for people with pre-existing conditions or cover essential health care services.

"Republicans have repeatedly worked to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and undermine Medicaid and Medicare," said Senator Carper. "This administration's rule expanding short-term plans is just another deeply flawed effort that would force Delawareans to have to pay more for lower quality health care. There are nearly 400,000 Delawareans living with pre-existing conditions that depend on the Affordable Care Act to ensure that they have access to life-saving healthcare. I certainly won't be letting the Administration jeopardize that care without a fight."

"Rather than focusing on how to give more Americans access to quality, affordable health insurance, the Trump administration is focused solely on destroying the Affordable Care Act," said Senator Coons. "While the ACA is not perfect, the Trump administration's continued efforts to strip away protections for those who need health care the most is not how we fix our health care system. Instead, we should be working across the aisle to improve our health care system."

According to an analysis by the LA Times, "more than 98% -- or 335 of 340 -- of the healthcare groups that commented on the proposal to loosen restrictions on short-term health plans criticized it, in many cases warning that the rule could gravely hurt sick patients." This included patient and consumer advocates, physician groups, nursing associations, hospital groups, medical providers, insurance companies, and more.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACSCAN) said it "poses a serious threat to cancer patients' ability to access quality, affordable health coverage." ACSCAN also said the Trump administration's rule "will likely leave older and sicker Americans in the individual insurance marketplace with few, if any, affordable health coverage choices" and that "patients living with serious conditions will be left paying more for the coverage they need if they can afford coverage at all."

In addition to Senators Carper and Coons, the resolution is co-sponsored by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bob Casey (D-PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Doug Jones (D-AL), Angus King (I-ME), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Text of the resolution is available here: https://www.coons.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/STDI%20plan%20bill1.pdf