Though one of President Donald Trump's top legislative priorities upon assuming office was dismantling the ACA, private insurance marketplaces have stabilized during his tenure, CMS Administrator Seema Verma argues in an blog post.
Average premiums on the federal ACA exchange rose 105 percent between 2013 and 2017. However, insurers in the 39 states utilizing the federal exchange have proposed lowering the premiums for their benchmark plans by 1.5 percent this year.
"This is a dramatic departure from the double-digit rate increases so common in recent years," Ms. Verma wrote.
Ms. Verma wrote that 23 more insurers are participating in federal exchanges under President Trump and that state reinsurance waivers approved by the administration help keep premiums low.
"Defenders of ObamaCare said these actions would destroy the law, and yet, the positive market trends are proving these critics wrong. Despite these positive trends, we are not complacent, and the reality is, the rates and the burden on taxpayers are still much too high. Plenty of work remains," Ms. Verma wrote. "The Trump administration is committed to continuing its work to increase choice and competition and lower consumers' costs."