The Senate’s working group on healthcare Tuesday met with Blue Cross Blue Shield as Republicans look to get input on their ObamaCare repeal bill.
“We really focused on the insurance aspect — how do we build a plan that works for the insurers in terms of making sure they participate and helping keep premium costs down?” said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.).
Insurance companies have also been pushing for the continued funding of ObamaCare’s cost-sharing reduction subsidies, which reimburse insurers for giving discounted deductibles to low-income enrollees.
{mosads}Insurers have threatened to pull out of the insurance market or raise premiums substantially if the payments aren’t funded.
The Trump administration said it made the May payment but hasn’t reached any decisions about the future.
Hoeven said the payments were discussed but “we don’t have a consensus yet.”
Insurers need to know before the federal deadline in June whether the payments will continue.
Republican Conference Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) said decisions on the payments need to be made fairly quickly.
“You’ve got to have a plan that provides stability in the marketplace for the short term,” Thune said.
“The one thing I think we don’t want to have is insurance companies that have already built those in [for 2018 plans] — if all of a sudden those are taken away you’re going to see some pretty significant plan increases.”