[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 129 (Monday, July 31, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Healthcare

  Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you, Madam President.
  First, on the matter of healthcare. I sincerely and truly hope the 
events of last week are a turning point. I hope they steer this body 
toward a period of greater bipartisanship. We sure could use it because 
the problems in our healthcare system did not end last week. We 
Democrats know that the Affordable Care Act wasn't perfect. We want to 
keep what works--and there are a lot of good things in it--and we want 
to fix what doesn't. We have a lot of work to do on that front.
  Our first order of business should be to stabilize the individual 
market and then both parties should work together through regular order 
through committees to discuss other improvements. Chairman Alexander 
and Ranking Member Murray have indicated they want to work together, 
have public hearings, and do this the right away. I am hopeful Chairman 
Hatch, Ranking Member Wyden, both of whom have proven themselves 
willing and able to work across party lines, also will be willing to 
work closely together to address broader problems with our healthcare 
system.
  Let me repeat. The first order of business should be to stabilize the 
individual market, which has been racked by uncertainty.
  Right now, as insurers prepare to lock in their rates and plans for 
2018, the Trump administration is dangling a massive sword of Damocles 
over the heads of millions of Americans, threatening to end payments 
the administration is supposed to make that would lower deductibles and 
out-of-pocket costs for so many Americans. These payments are critical 
to keeping healthcare costs down and keeping the markets stable. 
Remember, AHIP--the largest trade group of insurers--has said the 
uncertainty about these payments is ``the single most destabilizing 
factor in the individual market.'' That is not Chuck Schumer or some 
Democrat saying it, it is the insurers saying it. Make no mistake, by 
refusing these payments, President Trump is sabotaging our healthcare 
system. He is actively trying to make it collapse, taking out his 
political loss on the American people. That is not being Presidential; 
that is small, it is vindictive, and it will hurt millions of Americans 
he has sworn to help.
  In Pennsylvania and North Carolina, insurers have filed two separate 
sets of possible rates for 2018; one if the payments are made and one 
if they are not. If the payments are not made, premiums would be 20 
percent higher.
  Let's repeat that. If the payments are not made, if President Trump 
follows through on his vindictive idea of not making the payments, 
premiums will be 20 percent higher for the people of North Carolina and 
Pennsylvania. So if President Trump does not guarantee these payments 
permanently, Americans will have to pay a Trump tax on their premiums 
next year.
  Let me say that again. If President Trump does not guarantee these 
payments, Americans will be paying a Trump tax of 20 percent higher 
premiums.
  President Trump has a responsibility to make our healthcare system 
work, and millions of Americans will hold him accountable if the system 
implodes on his watch, if insurers leave the markets on his watch, or 
if their premiums go up 20 percent or more on his watch.
  Of course, we in Congress could remove the uncertainty hanging over 
the market and take the decision out of the President's hands. We can 
and should guarantee these payments as soon as possible, before the 
insurers set their rates for next year. I urge my Republican friends to 
join us on Senator Shaheen's bill to guarantee these payments and 
prevent President Trump's premium tax from going into effect. 
Republican Senators Alexander, Collins, Hatch, Portman, and Johnson 
have all spoken about the need to do this. I hope they will help us 
move forward. We could get this done very quickly and show the American 
people that we are able to work together on healthcare in a very 
bipartisan way, to help keep costs down for so many ratepayers.