Seventeen Democratic Senators sent a March 26 letter to CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, criticizing a proposed ACA rule for 2027 that, they claim, “CMS’ own experts predict will kick 2 million Americans off the healthcare they have and accelerate the healthcare affordability crisis.”
The lawmakers specifically took issue with provisions on bronze plan cost-sharing, catastrophic plan flexibilities, the rollback of adult dental benefits, short-term “junk” insurance coverage, state-based exchange use of web-brokers and scaled-back network adequacy requirements. The group called upon CMS to withdraw the proposed annual rule and submit a new one.
They said these provisions could elevate costs, promote unreliable coverage and prevent consumers from easily making apples-to-apples comparisons as they shop.
“It is shocking that, against this backdrop, the administration has chosen to propose new rules that make it easier for insurers to raise out-of-pocket costs, sell new kinds of junk insurance coverage, increase working families’ deductibles, cover fewer services and kick more providers out of network,” the letter said.
The ACA has been facing headwinds in recent months. CMS unveiled its proposal Feb. 9, following the expiration of enhanced tax credits. In the letter, the Senators did not shy away from the affordability concerns that piled on in the aftermath. At the same time, President Donald Trump has been targeting what he calls the “Unaffordable Care Act” in recent addresses, even weighing sending ACA dollars back to consumers.
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