Political Quotes

“I thank the Representative for offering this amendment and for yielding. This amendment requests a GAO report on how funding cuts to the navigator program and to Affordable Care Act marketing and outreach have impacted health insurance enrollment and the cost of coverage on the individual markets. Navigator programs provide critical assistance to consumers by raising awareness about the availability of marketplace plans, assisting people as they apply for Federal subsidies, and providing impartial information about different marketplace plans. Importantly, these programs help otherwise hard-to-reach groups get health insurance coverage, including people living in rural and underserved communities. The Trump administration has made significant funding cuts to the navigator program, however, providing only $10 million in funding for the program for 2019, an 80 percent reduction over the past 2 years. Navigator funding in my home State of Virginia has been reduced by an astounding 76 percent between 2016 and 2018, down from approximately $2.2 million in 2016 to just $525,000 in 2018. To manage these cuts, programs have had to lay off staff, close offices, and limit their availability to help consumers.…”