The state Insurance Department is reviewing proposals to increase health insurance rates in Connecticut in 2019 and the governor is slamming President Donald Trump.
Gov. Dannel Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman released a statement Friday saying the Insurance Department attributes the increases to “ongoing uncertainty in Washington that threatens to destabilize the health insurance markets, particularly for individuals.”
“President Trump has been determined to undermine affordable health insurance in America, and as a result, middle class families and businesses in our state and across the country will pay the price,” Malloy said in a statement.
An NBC Nightly News report from June said uncertainty and the lack of clear guidance from Washington is driving premium increases.
The state insurance department is reviewing proposals from Anthem, CT Benefits, CTCare, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Oxford Health and UnitedHealthcare.
Get more details on the proposals here.
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President Trump has called “Obamacare” a “disaster” and said it led to premiums increasing by double digits.
“We must work together to save Americans from Obamacare — you people know that, and everyone knows that at this point — to create more competition and to bring down the prices substantially,” Trump told insurance company CEOs in February. Read his remarks here.
A statement on the White House website says Obamacare is failing and “forces Americans to choose from fewer options or pay the IRS for the right to go without. This further limits their access to the doctors and healthcare services they need and places an excessive burden on individuals and families – particularly those who are in real need of quality, dependable coverage.”
Malloy blames Trump and Republicans in Congress for the impact of insurance rate increases on Connecticut residents.
“Next year, over a hundred thousand Connecticut residents will pay more for insurance because the president and his Republican allies in Washington have relentlessly and pointlessly attacked the Affordable Care Act, causing uncertainty in the healthcare exchange marketplace and increasing insurance premiums,” Malloy added.
Malloy, a Democrat, said Connecticut has been a leader in the expansion of affordable health insurance and added that the state “must remain vigilant in our efforts to stabilize the market in order to ensure every Connecticut resident has access to quality, affordable health care.”
Wyman also blamed Trump.
"Today we are seeing the consequences of President Trump’s continued attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act,” she said in a statement. “These efforts are aimed at eliminating protections for our customers, driving instability into the market, pushing premiums higher, making coverage less comprehensive, and shifting more out of pocket costs to our residents.”
She said Connecticut will continue to work to drive down health care costs and make coverage more affordable.
