A decision from President Donald Trump on ACA cost-sharing reduction payments — which help insurers subsidize the cost of coverage for low-income Americans — is forthcoming, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Kellyanne Conway, senior advisor to President Trump, addressed the payments in an interview with "Fox News Sunday." When asked if the president was going to cut off the payments, Ms. Conway said, "He's going to make that decision this week, and that's the decision that only he can make."
Ms. Conway's comments come after Senate Republicans' failed efforts to repeal parts of the ACA. Following the failed efforts Friday, President Trump tweeted, "If a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!" He followed up with this tweet Monday morning: "If ObamaCare is hurting people, & it is, why shouldn't it hurt the insurance companies & why should Congress not be paying what public pays?"
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., spoke out against President Trump potentially ending the payments in recent media interviews, noting how the payments help low-income Americans seeking coverage, according to the report.
A lawsuit over the funding of the payments is ongoing. The Republican-led House filed the lawsuit in 2014, arguing the payments were not legally funded. Two years later, House Republicans prevailed in the lawsuit, which was followed by an appeal from former President Barack Obama's administration. President Trump's administration has since delayed the lawsuit at least twice.
Now White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on CNN's "State of the Union," said the president and his administration officially stand that senators should continue healthcare reform efforts and, if necessary, forgo an upcoming recess, reports Los Angeles Times.