U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr., who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, issued a  statement Thursday assailing Donald Trump’s executive order signed today targeting the Affordable Care Act. Beyer stated, “Bipartisan opposition sank attempts to yank healthcare coverage from millions, so Donald Trump is now attempting to go around Congress to sabotage the Affordable Care Act through executive order. His action today would allow anemic health plans.  These plans will undercut coverage of preexisting conditions, as well as protections of state health insurance markets. Finally, they will make health insurance in the individual marketplace more costly. Today’s executive action will hurt those who are self-employed, undercutting the very entrepreneurs and innovators we want to encourage, and making it harder for many to retire. Insurers have warned that this move could send individual markets into chaos, and leading healthcare experts have warned that it could send health insurance exchanges into a death spiral. The country wants Trump and Congressional Republicans to stop sabotaging their healthcare and work in a bipartisan way to make things better. They should listen.”

Beyer noted that the Government Accountability Office previously issued a report which found that multiple employer welfare arrangements, which Trump’s order would deregulate, led to increased problems, “failed to comply with state insurance laws, and some violated criminal statutes.”