Governor Weighs in on Trump Healthcare Cut

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(NETWORK IN) Governor Holcomb says he hopes President Trump’s cutoff of a key piece of funding for the federal health care law will kick start a discussion of broader changes.

Insurers had been getting money to cover out-of-pocket costs for low-income patients so they go to the doctor instead of the emergency room. Holcomb says Indiana will “monitor” the possible effect of Trump’s executive order on Hoosiers in the Healthy Indiana Plan. But he says the federal law as written is unsustainable, and says he understands Trump’s frustration with Congress’s failure to pass a replacement. He says the law needs a comprehensive fix, and says he hopes Trump’s executive order will prod Congress toward agreement, after three unsuccessful attempts by Republicans to craft a new bill themselves.

Indiana Senator Joe Donnelly is slamming Trump’s order as a deliberate undermining of the law. CareSource told Donnelly its premium increase for Obamacare plans will be seven times higher next year because of uncertainty over the subsidies, and two insurers are leaving Indiana’s exchange entirely. Now that President Trump has officially pulled the plug, Donnelly predicts higher premiums across the board.

Donnelly’s been part of talks trying to find changes both parties will agree to.