Eastern Washington congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is reacting to a proposal by President Trump to hold back on giving insurance companies subsidies for those enrolled in the Affordable Care Act.
She says basically, she doesn’t believe the subsidies, which allow lower income citizens to afford health insurance, are a good idea. McMorris Rodgers said, "I believe these payments were unconstitutional to begin with. And the courts have actually upheld that position. If the payments didn’t happen, the insurance companies are counting on that, because of previous action by the Obama administration. I am being told that insurance companies by mid-year, would cut programs, cut plans, and raise premiums.”
At the same time, though McMorris Rodgers worries that may result in thousands of people losing their health coverage. She says she will withhold judgment on the subsidies until more negotiations on the future of health care can be held in Congress.
Trump has said he would withhold the subsidies in an effort to get democrats back to table in those discussions.
Some feel such an effort would backfire, in that Trump and Republicans would be directly blamed for the loss of health insurance for tens of thousands of people. Washington Insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler has said such an action would instigate a “death spiral” for the Affordable Care Act.
