ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today New York will reject efforts by the state's health insurers to use the Trump administration's repeal of the individual mandate as an excuse to boost their rates.

The individual mandate, one of the most unpopular aspects of Obamacare, required nearly all American to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. The mandate was designed to ensure healthy people buy insurance to offset higher medical costs incurred by sicker people. The Trump administration's elimination of the mandate has prompted some insurers to request higher rate increases because they expect young, healthy people to drop coverage.

Cuomo said insurers have cited the loss of the individual mandate to justify requests for higher premiums which would lead to an average increase for each policy of more than $1,500.

Cuomo said in a statement he has directed the state Department of Financial Services to reject insurer attempts to "opportunistically profit on the scare tactics and assault from the White House and Congress."

Health insurers asked the state in June to approve an average 24 percent increase in premiums for 2019. About half of that was related to the end of the individual mandate. The state is expected to make a decision in August on the rate hike requests.

A trade group representing insurers said its members' estimates of costs associated with the loss of the individual mandate were moderate.

The New York Health Plan Association said state officials earlier this year projected the loss of the individual mandate would lead to double-digit rate increases in the individual market.

"A key priority must be maintaining a stable marketplace in New York," Eric Linzer, president of the association, said in a prepared statement. "Politicizing the 2019 rate requests will not help in this effort."