Oregon health officials are still scrambling to respond to President Donald Trump's decision to cut off payments to insurers under the Affordable Care Act. But one thing is clear: The state plans to fight the president's plan.

State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday that Oregon is joining California's lawsuit to protect the subsidies that reduce insurance costs for low- and middle-income households. Fifteen other states have already signed on, according to Rosenblum.

"Once again, the White House has made a rash, ill-conceived decision that will have a devastating impact on many vulnerable Oregonians," Rosenblum said in a statement. "I refuse to sit by! The President should be in the business of helping —not wrecking — Americans' financial bottom lines and access to quality health care."

Trump, who has repeatedly failed to get Congress to repeal Obamacare, plans to use an executive order to stop the payments to insurers. According to news reports on California's legal challenge, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra will argue the executive order violates requirements in the Obama-era health care law.

Oregon officials say they sidestepped Trump's 'sabotage' of health insurance market

Attorneys general from Kentucky, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Illinois, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Iowa, and the District of Columbia are also joining the lawsuit.

-- Hillary Borrud

503-294-4034; @hborrud