Washington, D.C.—The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) today released its assessment of what would happen to health insurance premiums should the administration stop paying cost-sharing reductions (CSRs).
The CBO projects the average monthly premiums would increase 20 percent next year and 25 percent by 2020.
A statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows:
“Today’s CBO analysis makes clear the real costs and consequences of failing to fund cost-sharing reductions that millions of Americans rely on in order to afford their health care coverage.
“Ending these payments will do nothing to improve our nation’s health care system. Instead without the commitment of this predictable funding support which helps patients pay for their coverage, health insurers are more apt to withdraw from the markets—at least in the short term. This will likely force many patients to give up their coverage potentially delaying a critical cancer screening, interrupting necessary cancer treatment, or foregoing critical follow-up care.
“Having access to adequate, affordable health insurance is essential to our nation’s ability to continue reducing death and suffering from cancer. We urge Congress to carefully consider the CBO’s analysis and work together in a bipartisan way to appropriate adequate funding for sustained cost-sharing reductions so those with cancer and other chronic diseases don’t face barriers to lifesaving health coverage.”