The ranking members of five congressional committees sent a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma and HHS Secretary Alex Azar expressing concern over their decision to suspend risk-adjustment payments and collections.
The letter criticized the decision to suspend the payments, which the lawmakers called an effort to subvert the ACA and "yet another attempt by the Trump administration to sabotage the nation's healthcare system for partisan gain."
"The suspension of the risk-adjustment program is prompting concerns that insurers will leave the market and increase premiums for consumers. As the agency's own risk- adjustment report illustrates, suspending the program will result in major financial windfalls with healthier-than- average enrollees …... and will result in huge and unexpected losses for others," the Democrat senators and congressmen wrote.
Reps. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J. ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee ; Richard Neal, D-Mass., ranking member on the House Ways and Means Committee; Bobby Scott, D-Va., ranking member on the Education and Workforce Committee; and Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Ron Wyden, D-Wyo., ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee, all signed the letter.