WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not plan to unveil a broader healthcare overhaul and that there was no need to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which provides access to health insurance, because Americans will just stop using it.
“As far as I’m concerned, I rolled it out last night,” Trump told NBC on Thursday, a day after his fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a healthcare bill and blocked a Democratic-backed extension of federal subsidies for health insurance premiums.
“I don’t have to do anything, because Obamacare would just repeal itself automatically because nobody’s going to want to use it. Too expensive,” he added in the phone interview released Friday.
About 24 million Americans buy their health insurance through the ACA, nicknamed Obamacare because it was passed under Democratic President Barack Obama. The U.S. government increased subsidies during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that aid expires on December 31 unless Congress acts, leaving users vulnerable to potentially sharply higher costs starting January 1.
About a dozen House Republicans have pushed for their own bipartisan healthcare reforms aimed at protecting constituents in swing districts before November’s elections, which threaten their majority control. Healthcare costs along with other higher consumer prices have fueled public discontent over the economy and could loom large at the polls.
Instead, House Republicans this week passed a Trump-backed bill that aims to lower premiums for some people while reducing overall subsidies and raising premiums for others, starting January 2027 – two months after voters cast their ballots.
“It’s a very simple plan,” Trump told NBC. “We’re going to pay the money directly to the people… we’re going to let them buy their own healthcare.”
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Comments