Dr. Ruiz Slams Health Care Marketplace Uncertainty After Anthem Exits California Markets

Palm Desert, CA – Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), an emergency medicine physician and member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement after the health insurer Anthem announced they would leave 13 of the 19 regions in California, including Riverside County where his Congressional district is located:

"I am deeply disappointed to learn that Anthem will be pulling out of the individual health care market in Riverside County, leaving patients with fewer options. This is clearly the result of deliberate attempts by the Trump Administration to undermine and destabilize the individual insurance exchange markets by threatening not to fund the Cost Sharing Reduction (CSR) subsidies that help millions of hardworking families afford out of pocket costs such as co-pays and deductibles. We need to immediately address patients' concerns about rising premiums and diminishing options by stabilizing the marketplace. Instead, the Trump Administration is creating anxiety and uncertainty for political gain, which is driving premiums higher and forcing insurers like Anthem to exit the market. That's just wrong."

"That's why Congress must pass my Marketplace Certainty Act, which will permanently fund the CSRs and help families pay for critical doctor visits and medications. This bill will help end the uncertainty that is causing insurers like Anthem to pull out of exchanges. I urge Congress to put people over partisanship and immediately act in a bipartisan manner to pass this and other needed reforms."

If you or someone you know is concerned about finding a health care plan, please feel free to reach out to Covered California at (800) 300-1506 or Dr. Ruiz's office at 760-424-8888.

###