Last week, Virginia insurers cited Republicans’ health care sabotage in requesting  significant premium hikes. Now, more are following suit, and premiums are expected to increase across the country by as much as 94% over the next three years. While it’s already clear that Trump and Republicans’ health care sabotage is hurting American families, they continue to try and undermine the ACA.

Maryland health insurers have requested massive premium increases, by an average rate of 30 percent.

Washington Post Wonkblog: “CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield requested an 18.5 percent increase on the HMO plans used by the vast majority of its individual plan members — and a whopping, 91.4 percent increase on its PPO plans. Kaiser Permanente requested a 37.4 percent increase on its HMO plans. The average rate increase requested, across insurers and plans, was 30 percent.”

Washington Post Wonkblog: “In a statement, Kaiser Permanente said its rate request ‘reflect the expected costs of providing coverage for these members, including the impact of eliminating the individual mandate penalty.’”

Health care premiums are expected to continue to surge in markets across the country, by as much as 94% over the next 3 years, as a result of Trump and Republicans’ sabotage.

Washington Post: “Insurance premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans are likely to jump by 35 to 94 percent around the country within the next three years, according to a new report concluding that recent federal decisions will have a profound effect on prices.”

Bloomberg: “The Republican-led attempt to overturn the health law last year caused premiums to surge, as insurers expected that undoing the law’s requirement that all Americans have health insurance would leave them with a smaller and sicker pool of clients.”

Washington Post: “Also contributing to the escalating rates are the Trump administration’s decisions to shorten the sign-up time for consumers to buy ACA health plans and to severely curtail marketing and other activities to encourage people to sign up.”

Meanwhile, Republicans continue to try to undermine the Affordable Care Act, including by promoting association health plans in their farm bill.

NPR: “Farm Bill Could Undo Part Of The Affordable Care Act”

NPR: “It calls for $65 million in loans and grants administered by the Department of Agriculture to help organizations establish agricultural-related policies modeled on ‘association health plans.’ […] Association health plans are offered through organizations whose members usually share a professional, employment, trade or other relationship, although the Trump administration is soon to finalize new rules widely expected to broaden eligibility while loosening the rules on benefits these plans must include.”

NPR: “The plans — coupled with another Trump administration move to make short-term insurance more widely available — could draw healthier people out of the ACA markets, leaving the pool of beneficiaries with higher percentages of people who need medical care. And that, some say, could drive up premiums for those who remain in marketplace plans.”