Scott Statement On Optima Health's Decision To Scale Back Marketplace Participation

WASHINGTON – Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce issued the following statement after Optima Health announced it will pull out of parts of Virginia.

“In a move that only hurts families and working people, Optima Health has announced that it would no longer sell health insurance plans in some areas of Virginia. This is yet another consequence of the Trump Administration's irresponsible actions – actions such as refusing to commit to offer the key ACA payments that make health care affordable for millions, cancelling funding for enrollment outreach efforts, and creating uncertainty around enforcement of the individual mandate.

“Standard & Poor’s stated that the ACA Marketplaces was not in a ‘death spiral’ and even predicted further improvements in 2017.  Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office stated that the ACA Marketplaces are stable, although uncertainty around enforcement of the law may lead insurers to withdraw from the market.  The President has frequently stated that he wants to let the ACA collapse. However, this administration’s active measures to dismantle the law are drastically different from letting the law collapse – instead what we are seeing is active sabotage of the ACA which will only hurt our nation’s children, families, and working people. While the vast majority of Americans still have access to an affordable health plan, insurers have consistently warned that Congressional Republicans’ and the Trump Administration's actions to sabotage the ACA are causing higher premiums and fewer consumer choices for some Americans.

“My hope is that the administration will finally enforce the ACA as the law of the land and stop putting health insurance at risk for millions of families, including thousands across the Commonwealth of Virginia. In the meantime, Congress should build on the progress made by the ACA and work together to improve the health and economic security for all Americans.”

For more information: Standard & Poor's and Congressional Budget Office.