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Statement of ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray on House v. Price
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 21, 2017
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515; jvanness@communityplans.net
STATEMENT OF ACAP CEO MARGARET A. MURRAY ON HOUSE v. PRICE
WASHINGTON – Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), made the following statement on the continuance of House v. Price, which pertained to cost-sharing reduction subsidy payments for plans operating in Health Insurance Marketplaces:
“This action postpones the single greatest source of short-term uncertainty for Safety Net Health Plans and others offering coverage through the Marketplace. These payments, essentially a passthrough from health plans to consumers, totaled $4.9 billion in 2015.
“This delay affords Congress the opportunity to settle this question and avoid a disruption of the individual health insurance market if they were to appropriate funds for cost-sharing reductions between now and then.
“Absent subsidy payments, it would fall to insurers to fund them on their own. Few health plans could sustain unplanned expenses of such magnitude; many would be forced to exit the market if CSR payments were discontinued for an extended period of time; those that remain would be forced to raise their premiums substantially.”
“These legal proceedings are delayed, not resolved. So the fundamental uncertainty that pervades the business climate for health plans in the Marketplaces – and the members who rely on plans for coverage – persists. We look forward to the efforts of Congress and the Administration to resolve this uncertainty and provide a stable business environment for health plans, and stable coverage for consumers.
“We look forward to working with them to do so.”
About ACAP
ACAP represents 59 nonprofit Safety Net Health Plans in 28 states, which collectively serve more than seventeen million people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Marketplaces and other publicly-supported health programs.
For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
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