President Donald Trump delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress. REUTERS/Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool
President Trump urged Congress Tuesday night to take “action” on repealing Obamacare, making a public recommitment to do away with the healthcare law despite all the difficulties that poses.
“We should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts,” Trump said. “But it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by our government.”
His comments were also a nod to health insurers – whom Trump met with on Monday – who say tax credits are necessary to keep people in the market.
During his speech the President also urged Democrats to work with Republicans in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which he claimed, yet again, is a “disaster.”
“Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better health care,” Trump said.
He laid out five key measures he wants lawmakers to adopt in replacement legislation for Obamacare.
1. Ensuring people with pre-existing health conditions are guaranteed access to health insurance, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the health-care exchanges.
2. Giving people who buy their own health coverage tax credits and expanded health savings accounts to help pay for their coverage, as well as flexibility about the design of their plans
3. Give states “the resources and flexibility” in their Medicaid programs “to make sure no one is left out.” Medicaid covers primarily poor people. This could be an attempt to ease concerns from the more than 30 governors who expanded Medicaid coverage under Obamacare.
4. Legal reforms to protect doctors and patients “from unnecessary costs” that drive up insurance costs, and to bring down the price of high-cost drugs.
5. Creating a national insurance marketplace that allows insurers to sell health plans across state lines, proposal is favored by health insurers because it would enable them to offer plans in states with fewer regulatory hurdles.
Source: Reuters, CNBC, Forbes ( to read Trump’s full remarks on health care), Fortune
