Center for American Progress

STATEMENT: CBO Says Ending CSRs Would Raise Premiums, Increase Deficit
Press Statement

STATEMENT: CBO Says Ending CSRs Would Raise Premiums, Increase Deficit

Washington, D.C. — Sam Berger, senior policy adviser at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report showing the impact of the Trump administration terminating cost-sharing reduction (CSR) subsidies in an effort to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

The CBO’s report shows that if President Trump refuses to make the ACA payments that reduce deductibles and copayments for millions of Americans, he will drive issuers out of health care markets and raise costs for American families next year. Premiums for the most popular type of plan will rise by an extra 20 percent next year, and 5 percent of Americans will live in areas with no insurer in the individual marketplace at all. Not making the payments will also add $194 billion to the deficit by 2026.

The ACA is working, but Trump is trying to sabotage the law that has given millions of people access to affordable health coverage for the very first time. Trump’s threats to the marketplace will only serve to increase costs for consumers and taxpayers alike.

For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Devon Kearns at 202.741.6290or [email protected].