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How Donald Trump Is Driving Up Health Insurance Premiums – New York Times

Of that, just 8 percentage points will result from medical inflation, and 2 percentage points will stem from the reinstatement of an Obamacare health insurance tax; the balance will be related to the uncertainty that Mr. Trump has created around key pieces of Obamacare.

The largest portion of the total about 15 percentage points is connected to the potential demise of the cost-sharing reductions (known as C.S.R.s), payments made by the government to insurers to help cover out-of-pocket costs like co-pays and deductibles that lower-income Americans cant afford.

(The Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday that premiums for the most popular health insurance plans would rise by 20 percent next year, and federal budget deficits would increase by $194 billion in the coming decade, if Mr. Trump ends the subsidies.)

Those subsidies, which were created by the Obama health care legislation and which benefit seven million Americans, have been in limbo since House Republicans sued in 2014, contending that they needed to be appropriated by Congress, which wasnt going to happen as long as Republicans controlled each chamber.

Figures for silver plans.

Income less than 150% of FPL

Between 200250% of FPL

Income less than 150% of FPL

Between 200250% of FPL

Average deductibles with subsidies, by income level.

Income less than 150% of FPL

Between 200250% of FPL

Income less than 150% of FPL

Between 200250% of FPL

Conservatives won the first round in court, but that decision was stayed pending appeal, allowing both the Obama and Trump administrations to continue to make the monthly payments.

President Trump has threatened to end the subsidies but has yet to take definitive action. A decision was promised by Aug. 4, but Mr. Trump decamped to his New Jersey golf resort with nary a word about C.S.R.s.

As a result, many of the insurance companies that have already announced their increases have either baked in increases assuming loss of the subsidies or say that they will impose further hikes if the subsidies are not continued.

The silence around the C.S.R.s is consistent with the new administrations overall approach to the A.C.A.: continually badmouthing it and taking small steps to undermine it without unleashing a full-force assault.

Even without repeal and replace legislation emerging from Congress an unlikely event at this point the administration has enormous authority to shape the functioning of the A.C.A.

As Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services, has said repeatedly, there are 1,442 places in the existing law that provide him with some measure of discretion in how the act is implemented.

For example, the Internal Revenue Service said this year that it would start accepting tax returns even if the filer has not confirmed having insurance or submitting the penalty.

Around the same time, the new team pulled advertising designed to encourage enrollments, causing sign-ups for 2017 to fall modestly short of expectations, especially among younger and healthier Americans, who are much more likely to wait until the last minute to enroll.

More recently, the administration canceled contracts with two companies that helped Americans in 18 cities find plans.

All of these actions and more could amount to undermining the individual mandate, a step that Mr. Gaba says would add another 4 percentage points to 2018 premium increases.

Breakdown of reasons for 2018 rate hike requests.

Cuts to cost-sharing subsidies

Non-enforcement of mandate

Federal health insurance tax

Total average premium increase

Cuts to cost-sharing subsidies

Non-enforcement of mandate

Federal health insurance tax

Total average premium increase

At the same time, some steps toward preparing for the next enrollment period are proceeding normally, such as an annual meeting in June with navigators who guide consumers in their choices of plans.

In addition, the Trump team has been allocating funds to states with weak exchange markets to encourage insurers to continue to provide coverage.

But what else the administration will or wont do as the November opening of the enrollment period approaches remains a mystery.

Asked last week by The Washington Post to clarify, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would say only, As open enrollment approaches, we are evaluating how to best serve the American people who access coverage on HealthCare.gov.

An hour later, the spokeswoman, Jane Norris, tried to withdraw the statement and refused to comment further. Ms. Norriss office did not respond at all to my inquiry.

A bipartisan group of senators is trying to draft legislation to stabilize Obamacare. But with Congress gone, any new laws will come too late for the Sept. 5 deadline for setting 2018 premiums.

So it well may be up to Mr. Trump to decide, in effect, the fate of the exchanges, which supply about 12 million Americans with their coverage. With final premium increase decisions due soon, even inaction could be devastating.

As the president has acknowledged on occasion and as public opinion polls confirm, the failure of Congress to pass any legislation means that the new administration owns the health care issue politically. Continuing to let it flounder in the twilight zone will be damaging not only to Mr. Trumps political health but more important, to the health of millions of Americans who deserve better.

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How Donald Trump Is Driving Up Health Insurance Premiums - New York Times

Lawmakers Demand Donald Trump Fire Top Aides, Saying They Encourage White Supremacists – HuffPost

The heads of Congress black, Hispanic, Asian and progressive caucuses sent a letter to the White House on Monday demanding the dismissal of top aides Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller and Sebastian Gorka, saying their presence in the White House has emboldened white supremacists.

The letter came after a white supremacy rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent, leavingone person dead and others injured when a man drove a car into a crowd of counterprotesters. Trump has faced criticism for his delay in condemning white supremacist groups following the violence, first blaming many sides before denouncing the hate groups on Monday.

The letter accuses the three advisers of encouraging white supremacist groups and says they should be removed because Americans deserve to know that white nationalists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis are not in a position to influence U.S. policy.

The authors cite Bannons role as former chairman of Breitbart News, a site that promotes white nationalist views. The New York Times reported Monday that Bannon could be on the verge of being dismissed from the White House.

The lawmakers also express concern over links between Miller and Richard Spencer, a prominent white nationalist, and Gorkas ties to a far-right Hungarian group aligned with the Nazi party.

In this time of tumult in our country, Americans deserve a leader that will bring us all together and denounce those who seek to tear us apart. In that vein, we strongly urge you to move expeditiously to remove Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka and Stephen Miller from the White House. The ideology and political agenda of these men have no place in the highest office in the land, the letter says.

The letter is signed by Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee (Calif.), Judy Chu (Calif.), Cedric Richmond (La.), Michelle Lujan Grisham (N.M.), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Ral Grijalva (Ariz.) and David Cicilline (R.I.). Christopher Huntley, a Lee spokesman, said Lee led the effort on the letter and wanted to united lawmakers across a diverse range of backgrounds to speak to the White House after the Charlottesville violence.

Read the full letter below:

This article has been updated with the signed letter and list of lawmakers who sent it.

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Lawmakers Demand Donald Trump Fire Top Aides, Saying They Encourage White Supremacists - HuffPost

Donald Trump retweeted an alt-right conspiracy theorist. Here’s why. – CNN

CNN Special Report "Twitter and Trump" with Bill Weir explores the President's fraught relationship with the social media platform Friday at 9 p.m. ET.

"Meanwhile: 39 shootings in Chicago this weekend, 9 deaths. No national media outrage. Why is that?"

Posobiec is a well-known figure on Twitter -- he has more than 181,000 followers -- thanks to his vociferous defenses of Trump and his willingness to promote conspiracy theories.

He is, to put it kindly, an unreliable source. He peddles falsehoods. He is a provocateur, more interested in making headlines than adhering to established facts.

So why the hell would Trump retweet Posobiec?

What's FAR more likely is that Trump knew Posobiec was an ally and liked the counter-narrative to Charlottesville offered by the murders in Chicago.

Remember this: In Trump's world, there isn't really right and wrong. There are people who love him/work for his interest and people who hate him/work against his interests. There is no gray area between those two poles.

If you are in the love category, you are, by definition, good. The reverse is true for those Trump puts in the hate column.

Posobiec likes Trump and supports Trump. That's all Trump cares about. That Posobiec has pushed conspiracy theories and is a card-carrying member of the alt-right doesn't matter to Trump. Those are Posobiec's issues! Not Trump's! All Trump is doing is retweeting someone making a good point!

Of course, Trump himself saw his candidacy born in a conspiracy theory -- Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States -- and has continued to peddle false conspiracy theories (Ted Cruz's father was involved in the JFK assassination, Muslims were celebrating on New Jersey roofs on 9/11, Barack Obama wiretapped phones in Trump Tower) throughout his candidacy and presidency.

There's one other piece of this Posobiec retweet. Not only does Trump divide the world between those who love him and those who hate him, he loves the people that love him.

If you are nice to Trump, Trump will be nice to you. It's as simple as that. That's why Trump retweeted something from a known conspiracy theorist. And why he'll do it again. And again.

UPDATE: This post has been updated to add context about the shootings in Chicago.

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Donald Trump retweeted an alt-right conspiracy theorist. Here's why. - CNN

‘Donald Trump forest’ climate change project gains momentum – BBC News


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'Donald Trump forest' climate change project gains momentum
BBC News
A campaign to plant trees to compensate for the impact of President Trump's climate policies has 120,000 pledges. The project was started by campaigners upset at what they call the president's "ignorance" on climate science. Trump Forest allows people ...

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'Donald Trump forest' climate change project gains momentum - BBC News

Who may lose amid the CEO backlash and Trump? Americans. – USA TODAY

More CEOs are turning the back on President Trump following his delayed condemnation of white supremacists after the violent rally in Charlottesville. Buzz60

US President Donald J. Trump, left, listens to CEO of Merck Kenneth Frazier speak during the announcement of a pharmaceutical glass packaging initiative, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 20 July 2017. As part of 'Made in America' week, Trump announced a partnership of Merck, Pfizer, and Corning to produce glass medical containers in the United States.(Photo: MICHAEL REYNOLDS, EPA)

President Trumpis losing important friends in the corner offices of Corporate America and that could be hazardous to the health of his economic ambitions.

The Trump agenda, already reeling from political infighting in Washington, D.C., scandal and turmoil in his administrationand missteps by the tweet-driven president himself,has a new roadblock to confront: CEOs that are distancing themselves from himafter the deadly violence this weekend in Virginia during a white supremacist protest.

The president has come under fire for not quickly and forcibly denouncing the racist groups involved in the chaos in Charlottesville, Va.

"The business community peeling back support doesn't make (Trump's challenge) any easier," says Brian Nick, chief investment strategist at TIAA Investments.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich speaks during a meeting with President Trump at the White House on Feb. 8, 2017, where Intel announced an investment of $7 billion to build a factory in Chandler, Ariz. to create advanced semi-conductor chips(Photo: Chris Kleponis, Pool/European Pressphoto Agency)

Trump's diminished stature in the eyes of some CEOs -- including Kenneth Frazier at drugmaker Merck, Brian Krzanich at tech giantIntel and Kevin Plank ofathletic-apparelmaker Under Armour, all who have resignedfrom the president's manufacturing advisory council --is the latest challenge to the president's ability to push his agenda of tax cuts and infrastructure through Congress.

The obstacle around the corner

The public rebuke of Trump from even a small handful oftop U.S. executivescould have negative repercussions for the economy andfinancial markets if it causes business and investor confidence to take a hit. And if it leads more Republicans to break ranks with the president.

The most immediate worry, however, is how Trump's latest setback will impact his ability this fall to get a new budget passed and negotiate with Congress to raise the nation's debt ceiling the amount of money the country can borrow to help pay its bills.

"The Trump agenda will hit an enormous obstacle in September because of budget issues, and he doesn't seem to have the political capital to prevail," says Greg Valliere, chief global strategist at Horizon Investments. "Charlottesville was the last straw for some Republicans, who are sick of defending Trump. So they will essentially ignore the White House."

Under Armour's CEO Kevin Plank.-- Photo by Maxine Park, USA TODAY staff [Via MerlinFTP Drop](Photo: USAT)

The biggest risk is a fresh bout of uncertainty that will result in businesses turning more cautious, which could slow down the economy and the hiring of workers.

"When businesses are dealing with a chaotic government and a series of unknowns, the natural instinct of decision makers like CEOs is to defer decisions and wait for clarity," says David Kotok, chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors, a money-management firm based in Sarasota, Fla.

Other Wall Street pros say the latest Trump controversy is "political noise" andnot likely to derail financial markets. "What is the feedback loop into the real economy? Unless it does work its way into the economy (in a negative way) it is unlikely to have a long-lasting impact on the market,"says Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust Wealth Management.

The risk of staying and the risk of going

Sydney Finkelstein, author of Why Smart Executives Fail and director of the Center for Leadership at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, says it is too early to say whether this is the "tipping point" for lawmakers when deciding whether to stick with Trump or risk political backlash from constituents.

Finkelstein says business leaders must also weigh the risks of either denouncing Trump or steering clear of controversy by avoiding the issue.

Many CEOs, he says, are reluctant to refute or take on the president publicly for fear of getting in Trump's line of fire. But Finkelstein says there is a business risk of doing nothing, as employees and people that buy a company's products are watching.

"By not speaking up," says Finkelstein, "you are explicitly in agreement with how the administration has handled this. But you can't just sit on the sidelines if you are a leader, if you have hundreds of thousands of employees and millions of customers. That is an abdication of your responsibility as a leader."

CEOs that do speak out against injustice do so for business reasons.

"They're finding the cost of alignment with Trump is too high," says Bill Klepper, professor of management at Columbia Business School. "They have a social contract with stakeholders. Here's what we stand for. These are our core values. Here's how we're going to contribute and win as a business in society. And we're going to do it through ethical principles."

The CEO of retail giant Walmart, Doug McMillon, weighed in Tuesday on what critics say wasTrump's delayed denunciation of white supremacists and other hate groups.

The president "missed a critical opportunity to help bring our country together by unequivocally rejecting the appalling actions of white supremacists," McMillonwrote in a memo to employees. "I will," he added, "continue to strongly advocate on behalf of our associates and customers, and urge our elected officials to do their part to promote a more just, tolerant and diverse society."

Wall Street is overlooking Trump's missteps for now

For now, Trump's missteps have been overlooked by Wall Street. Not until the economy slows down, or corporate earnings are adversely impacted, or companies stop hiring, will investors view the latest political crisis for Trump as a big negative.

And today's Tuesday's reports on July retail sales and August homebuilder confidence continue the narrative of a stock market and economy being fueled by better performance.

"People have been willing to look past the slow start to Trump's policy agenda because the economy seems to be doing OK on its own," says TIAA's Nick.

Trump's pro-business mentality andpush to reduce red tape and regulations on businesses havealready resulted in improved confidence levels for consumers, small businesses and CEOs. And even though expectations are low for Trump's tax cuts and other agenda items getting enactedsoon, the market and economy will likely get a boost if Trump and Congress can get something done by early next year, says Nixon of Northern Trust.

Adds Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial Network: "I don't see the resignations of the CEOs from the advisory council as being any sort of a game changer. Business has always had an arms-length relationship with politics."

Related:

Who's on and off Trump's manufacturing council? Here's the list.

Was Merck CEO Ken Frazier's decision to leave Trump council the right move?

Under Armour, Intel CEOs quit Trump's job council over Charlottesville rally response

Trump blasts CEOs as 'grandstanders' for departing his manufacturing council

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Who may lose amid the CEO backlash and Trump? Americans. - USA TODAY