PLAYING POLITICS WITH HEALTH CARE

- Bloomberg News, 8/2/17

Friend --

For months, President Trump has threatened to cut off funding for the very subsidies that help hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers reduce their co-pays, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket healthcare costs. Since millions of New Yorkers spoke up and killed a congressional plan that would have gutted Medicaid and destabilized our health care system, President Trump has threatened to choke off these subsidy payments as a way of forcing Congress back to the table.

But playing politics with people's health care is a dangerous and irresponsible game.

That's why I decided to lead a coalition of 18 Attorneys General to protect the nearly one million New York families who rely on these subsidies to obtain quality, affordable health care.

Last wwek, we scored our first major victory when a federal court granted our motion to defend these critically important subsidies.

It was a huge win. Before last night's decision, only President Trump's lawyers could defend the subsidies we all knew he'd rather abolish.

Now we can do it.

Experts say the uncertainty caused by President Trump's irresponsible threats has already led insurers to raise premiums for families across the country by up to 21 percent.

So make no mistake: if the President actually tries to eliminate these vital payments, we will see him in court.

The health care of New Yorkers -- and people across this country -- depends on it.

Sincerely,