Political Quotes

“Senator Wyden is exactly right. I have met with the largest insurer in Maryland. I have gone over their rate requests for this year. They told me directly that the largest amount of their premium increase request is based upon the uncertainty. They don't know whether the cost sharing is going to be put in the budget, and they have to make their decisions on rates now. Not knowing that, they have to cover themselves, and they are asking for a rate increase under the concern that the cost sharing may not be in the payment. That was not only envisioned, we thought it was mandated in the Affordable Care Act. Now the President is talking about: Well, maybe I am not going to put it in. And we see some of his other activities. So if you are an insurance company and you are answerable to your board of directors and you know that this payment is how you are able to get low deductibles and copays, but you are not sure you are going to get the Federal payment, and you know that your customers are going to want the low cost sharing, you have to charge a higher premium just to cover yourself. That is exactly what was done in Maryland. If the President of the United States had said that money is going to go into the program because that is what Congress intended, we would have had significantly lower rates in Maryland in the individual marketplace. Predictability is critically important.”