Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) is the latest politician to make critical remarks about the Affordable Care Act. The governor on Wednesday said the health law is "no longer affordable to increasing numbers of people," reports Politico.
Gov. Dayton told reporters the ACA, which covers 20 million people, has "many good features to it" but needs help from Congress to make coverage more affordable, according to the article, which cites a transcript provided by his office. But he said the health law has "some serious blemishes and serious deficiencies."
The governor's comments come as Minnesota faces average premium increases for individual plans between 50 percent and 67 percent and less competition in its ACA insurance marketplace in 2017. His remarks also follow former President Bill Clinton's extraordinarily candid comments on the ACA.
Minnesota officials attributed the double-digit rate hikes to high prescription drug costs and sicker-than-expected customers, among other factors, according to Politico. The report notes that the rate hikes don't take into account any monthly subsidiesthat low- and middle-income ACA customers may receive.
Minnesota officials have considered fixes to lessen the impact of the rate increases, but Gov. Dayton said U.S. Republican lawmakers also must drop their opposition to the ACA, according to the report.
"The governor wants to make it clear that the Republicans in Congress are to blame for their unwillingness to make improvements necessary to make the Affordable Care Act more successful," Gov. Dayton spokesman Sam Fettig said in an email to Politico.
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