Topic: Trump releases his healthcare plan, says he will repeal oba
mightymoe's photo
Fri 03/04/16 09:01 AM
GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump has released his healthcare plan, in which he says he will "completely repeal Obamacare." The proposal is being welcomed by Republicans, who have aimed to overturn the healthcare policy since its inception.

Of the proposals listed in the seven-point plan, Obamacare receives the most stage time, with Trump making the bold claim that it has "raised the economic uncertainty of every single person residing in this country."

"...The American people have had to suffer under the incredible economic burden of the Affordable Care Act - Obamacare. This legislation...has tragically but predictably resulted in runaway costs, websites that don't work, greater rationing of care, higher premiums, less competition and fewer choices," Trump wrote in the plan, which was posted to his website on Wednesday.

He goes on to state that the Trump administration will ask for a full repeal of the healthcare plan on "day one" of the presidential term.

However, the presidential candidate stresses that repealing the "terrible legislation" will not be enough.

"We will work with Congress to make sure we have a series of reforms ready for implementation that follow free market principles and that will restore economic freedom and certainty to everyone in this country," he states.

In addition to repealing Obamacare, Trump promises to allow for any healthcare provider to offer insurance in any state.

However, former health insurance executive Wendell Potter told RT that despite Trump's claims, there is currently "no federal law that prohibits insurance companies from selling across state lines."

"The two companies that I worked for over 20 years - Cigna and Humana - sell in almost every state, and what we need to know is that because there is no federal law that prohibits this, it's really the states that are regulating health insurance. And the president of the United States, whether it's Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, will not be able to dictate what those states do, so it's just kind of an absurd thing," Potter said.

In addition, Trump has promised to allow individuals to fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns; allow individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs); require price transparency from all healthcare providers; convert Medicaid into a block-grant program; and remove entry barriers into free markets for prescription drug providers.



Elaborating on those points, Trump says that "no person should be required to buy insurance unless he or she wants to,"but that those who do purchase it should be able to "fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns."

"We must make sure no one slips through the cracks simply because they cannot afford insurance," he adds.

The presidential hopeful also manages to tie the topic of immigration - a key focus of his campaign - into the plan, stating that "providing healthcare to illegal immigrants costs us some $11 billion annually. If we were to simply enforce the current immigration laws and restrict the unbridled granting of visas to this country, we could relieve healthcare cost pressures on state and local governments."

In conclusion, Trump says that "Congress will need the courage to step away from the special interests and do what is right for America."

no photo
Fri 03/04/16 09:18 AM
but, will he release his tax returns?

Conrad_73's photo
Fri 03/04/16 09:29 AM
apparently he is hoping for a Phone and a Pen!
Maybe someone tell him now that the Constitution allows POTUS ZERO Legislative Powers!

no photo
Fri 03/04/16 09:48 AM
I don't like the guy and think he will be a terrible president but:
"completely repeal Obamacare."

Call my Dorothy Boyd but that's where he had me.

Maybe someone tell him now that the Constitution allows POTUS ZERO Legislative Powers!

I think he might understand this on some level.

That's why he says:
the presidential candidate stresses that repealing the "terrible legislation" will not be enough.
"We will work with Congress to make sure we have a series of reforms

Congress has legislative powers.
...That's why he "will work with" them...

Other than that, his plans are childish.

...But I'm enamored with:
"completely repeal Obamacare."

I just like saying it.
"completely repeal Obamacare."
"completely repeal Obamacare."
I feel this thrill going up my leg.

It's not going to happen, I'm not the girl sitting by the phone waiting for the bad boy to call me, or naive enough to fall for the pump n dump.

But it's still fun to fantasize.

RAZZAKARIA69's photo
Fri 03/04/16 11:35 AM
hi

beachdog50's photo
Fri 03/04/16 01:11 PM
And Mexico will pay for it

Rock's photo
Fri 03/04/16 06:09 PM
Whoever the next president is,
it is completely within their power,
to ask for a complete repeal of obamacare.


Up until obamacare became law, my monthly health
insurance premiums cost me less than $100. per month.

My monthly premiums, for less coverage, now cost in excess of $1000.
per month.

F' you... errr... I mean, thank you obamacare. :thumbsup:


The 1000%+ increase in that one expense, just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

RustyKitty's photo
Fri 03/04/16 07:25 PM
In conclusion, Trump says that "Congress will need the courage to step away from the special interests and do what is right for America."

...and that goes for whomever wins, doesn't it?



Foliel's photo
Wed 03/09/16 11:45 AM
I hope his new plan also makes sure that people with preexisting conditions will be able to get insurance, as most insurance programs won't touch someone that already has something wrong.

IgorFrankensteen's photo
Wed 03/09/16 06:28 PM
Edited by IgorFrankensteen on Wed 03/09/16 06:31 PM
I'm all in favor of repealing the ACA. But what's being discussed so far to deal with the absurd cost of health care in the US, wont even begin to touch it.

The problem isn't lack of freedom of action for the Insurance companies, or for the providers, per se. What the problem has been, for a long time now, is that a VERY old "solution" made a mess of everything.

That is, the interlock between the AMA, the Insurance Industry, the courts, and the Profit-motive basis of health care providers, means that there CAN be no competition for prices or quality of care.

The Insurance companies decided long ago, because of the way the courts keep deciding health care cases, to have the AMA declare what does and doesn't qualify as correct care for each and every known malady. This has the effect of throttling any and all experimental care, for one thing, and means as well that every doctor will always hit you with a battery of tests, whether they think they need to or not, because that's what the ACA says to do with each symptom. And the ACA even declares what is okay to charge for each service, which the insurance companies use to set fees. So again, that means that competition is meaningless, since everyone will be working with the exact same costs. It also means that when the ACA sets a price low, that every provider will make sure to charge the full ACA price for tests and procedures that they have found cheaper and better ways to perform, in order to make up for the times they are short changed.

As long as the main goal is to make money for stockholders (for the Insurance companies as well as the care providers), the actual health of the PATIENT, and their ability to pay, will continue to be ignored, or take last place.

If that's all Trump has to offer, we'll just be going back to the mess we were in before the ACA mess was dumped on us.