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U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur's new effort to write health care legislation intended to help stabilize insurance marketplaces without repealing the Affordable Care Act has garnered the attention of the Democrats interested in replacing him in Congress.

And they aren't exactly applauding him.

Democrats Andy Kim and Katherine Hartman took turns blasting the 3rd District Republican on Thursday for once again partnering with Rep. Mark Meadows on health care reform.

The North Carolina congressman chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus, and he was MacArthur's partner in writing a key amendment to the Republicans' Affordable Care Act repeal-and-replace legislation that helped the measure garner enough votes to advance from the House.

This time around, the two are working on legislation intended to help stabilize individual insurance markets in some parts of the country that are in danger of collapsing due to rising premiums and the exodus of insurers willing to sell individual health plans.

Details about their proposal have not been released, but MacArthur has said it includes funding for cost-sharing reduction subsidies paid to insurers to keep out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and co-payments manageable for low- and moderate-income consumers.

The subsidies, which are separate from the ACA's tax credits awarded to consumers to help defer some of the expense of their premiums, have become the focus of the health care debate following the Senate's failure to pass an overhaul of "Obamacare."

Democrats and many Republicans have called for the subsidies to be funded and distributed, but President Donald Trump has called them a "bailout" for insurers and has threatened to withhold them.

MacArthur has said his plan would fund the subsidies and would also include provisions intended to bring down costs.

In his statement, Kim said MacArthur could not be trusted following his first foray into health care reform with Meadows.

"None of us will forget what MacArthur did by leading the charge to take away health care from millions of Americans. We can't trust anything he does after he authored one of the worst pieces of legislation that would jeopardize many lives," the Evesham resident said. "After he burned his bridges with the moderate Republicans' Tuesday Group, MacArthur is now working with the most extreme right-wing leaders who are strong supporters of Steve Bannon, refuse to condemn Trump's statements on Charlottesville, and just introduced a measure for a straight repeal of the ACA with no replacement."

Hartman, of Moorestown, said she was concerned that MacArthur would use funding for the cost-sharing reduction payments as cover to also try to weaken Affordable Care Act protections guaranteeing that insurers cover necessities such as hospitalization, prescription drugs, prenatal care, and mental illness and substance abuse treatment.

"The cost-sharing reduction payments need to be funded, with no change to essential benefits. The attempts by President Trump and congressional Republicans to hold these payments hostage is another example of putting politics over the needs of constituents," Hartman said. "This gamesmanship will negatively affect the people of our district, and I will not stand for it. We cannot play games with people's health."

Chris Russell, a consultant and spokesman for MacArthur's re-election campaign, said that MacArthur continues to show leadership on health care and that the Democrats' attacks were the equivalent of "shooting spitballs from the sidelines."

"Do Katherine Hartman and Andy Kim even know what they are talking about? Every Democrat in Congress wants cost-sharing reductions funded, which Congressman MacArthurs proposal does. Second, many Democrats have called for the most onerous Obamacare taxes to be repealed, which Congressman MacArthurs proposal also does," Russell said. "Attacking the congressman for advancing bipartisan ideas within the framework of the current law proves that Hartman and Kim dont really care about fixing health care. They are just looking for an excuse to push for a European-style, single-payer system that will bankrupt the country, destroy our growing economy, and increase taxes on every American."

The back-and-forth on the issue marks an early start to what's expected to be an active 2018 campaign for the 3rd District seat, which represents almost all of Burlington County and a large portion of neighboring Ocean County.

The district has been represented by a Democrat only once during the last century, but Democrats have become energized in the wake of MacArthur's role in writing the Republicans' health care overhaul legislation and the election ofTrump, who headlined a fundraiser for the congressman at his golf club in Bedminster, Somerset County.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has listed MacArthur's seat among its top targets in 2018 and was also critical of his renewed partnership with Meadows.

Once again, Rep. MacArthur is showing his true colors by aligning with the most extreme right-wing members of the Republican Party. The centrist Tuesday Group already kicked MacArthur out of its leadership for the MacArthur Amendment, which gutted protections for pre-existing conditions and led to the passage of the destructive Republican repeal bill. This recent scheme should finally put an end to the myth of MacArthur as moderate," said Evan Lukaske, a spokesman for the DCCC.

Russell said that MacArthur is willing to work with Republicans and Democrats to fix health care, and that voters deserve to know if Kim and Hartman are in favor of a single-payer system being pushed by far-left Democrats.

"The fact remains that the current health care system is a mess, and rising premiums are making health insurance unaffordable for tens of millions of middle-class Americans. Doing nothing and letting it collapse isn't an option. Neither is President Trump's plan to repeal Obamacare with no replacement," Russell said.

"That's why Congressman MacArthur is once again leading the fight to stabilize the markets, and ultimately pass a more patient-centered and consumer-friendly health care system that creates a strong safety net for the less fortunate, while allowing Americans to customize plans that best suit them and their families. Hes shown leadership and put forward a plan. What do Katherine Hartman and Andy Kim stand for?"

Excerpt from:
Democrat challengers attack MacArthur's new health care plan - Burlington County Times