[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    COST-SHARING REDUCTION PAYMENTS

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, last week, Secretary Price 
refused to say whether the administration would fulfill its obligation 
to make cost-sharing reduction payments. This is the latest in a string 
of actions to sabotage the individual health insurance markets and 
ultimately leave people paying more for their insurance premiums.
  President Trump and the Republican majority have said that the 
Affordable Care Act is collapsing as a justification of taking away 
insurance from 23 million Americans, but the truth is they are taking 
active measures to drive uncertainty and undermine the law.
  Insurers have little time left to finalize their rate filings for 
2018, and without certainty as to whether or not cost-sharing subsidies 
will be paid, they will significantly raise their rates or exit the 
marketplaces altogether.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to cut out the games and make the 
cost-sharing reduction payments, and to stop actively trying to 
undermine Americans' access to affordable, quality health insurance.
  Even my friend from Texas (Mr. Brady), chairman of the Ways and Means 
Committee, called for the funding of insurer payments in order to help 
stabilize the insurance market and help lower premiums for Americans 
who rely on these subsidies.
  There is simply no excuse for delay.

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