Donald Trump has gone all-in to break major campaign promises with the disaster that is TrumpCare. We”ll find out today if he’s successfully negotiated his own party into voting for it in the House.
The Republican bill would have real consequences for Americans and exposes that Donald Trump has been lying to people since the very beginning when it comes to healthcare.
Here’s the truth: Trumpcare will cost taxpayers more money and cover fewer people. In fact, fewer people would lose their coverage if the GOP simply repealed the ACA without a replacement, further underscoring the reckless nature of this legislation.
In all, Trumpcare would kick 26 million Americans off of their health insurance, force higher out-of-pocket costs onto working and middle class families, rural Americans, and seniors, and hollow-out funding for substance abuse treatment. All in order to give a small group of millionaires billions in tax cuts.
The American people know this plan is a disaster, as evident by multiple polls showing that Trumpcare is profoundly unpopular. That’s why Donald Trump has resorted to political threats to convince even members of his own party in Congress to support this bill. But no matter how he tries, Trump can’t escape the truth: this bill’s consequences are directly at odds with his empty healthcare promises, and the public is going to hold Republicans accountable for kicking millions off of their insurance.
TrumpCare would take health insurance away from over 20 million Americans….
Congressional Budget Office, 3/13/2017: “CBO and JCT estimate that, in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation than under current law….Later, following additional changes to subsidies for insurance purchased in the nongroup market and to the Medicaid program, the increase in the number of uninsured people relative to the number under current law would rise to 21 million in 2020 and then to 24 million in 2026.”
Politico, 3/13/2017: “White House analysis of Obamacare repeal sees even deeper insurance losses than CBO…The preliminary analysis from the Office of Management and Budget forecast that 26 million people would lose coverage over the next decade, versus the 24 million CBO estimates.”
…but Trump said he would give health care coverage to “everybody.”
Trump: “I Want Health Care For Everyone.” “‘I want healthcare for everyone and that’s where I may be a little bit different than some of the people [running].” [“Morning Joe,” MSNBC, 7/17/15]
Trump On Replacing Obamacare: “Everybody’s Got To Be Covered.” “Scott Pelley: What’s your plan for Obamacare? Donald Trump: Obamacare is going to be repealed and replace. Obamcare is a disaster, if you look at what’s going on with premiums. They are up 45, 50, 55 percent. Pelley: So how do you fix it? Trump: There is many different ways by the way, everybody’s got to be covered.” [“60 Minutes,” CBS, 9/27/15]
Trump On Whether His Health Care Plan Includes Universal Coverage: “We’re Going To Take Care Of Them. We Have To Take Care Of Them.” “Scarborough: So all Americans will get health care of some sort? Trump: We’re going to take care of them. We have to take care of them. Now, that’s not single payer. That’s not anything. That’s just human decency.” [Donald Trump, MSNBC Town Hall, Columbia, SC, 2/17/16]
Trumpcare would significantly increase costs for working and middle class families, rural Americans, and senior citizens…
Kaiser Family Foundation, 3/10/2017: “For current marketplace enrollees, the American Health Care Act would provide substantially lower tax credits overall than the ACA on average. People who are lower income, older, or live in high premium areas would be particularly disadvantaged under the American Health Care Act.”
American Medical Association President Andrew W. Gurman, M.D., 3/8/2017: “By replacing income-based premium subsidies with age-based tax credits, the AHCA will also make coverage more expensive – if not out of reach – for poor and sick Americans. For these reasons, the AMA cannot support the AHCA as it is currently written.”
American Association of Retired Persons, 3/21/2017: “The vast majority of older Americans, including those who voted for President Donald Trump, are opposed to the “age tax” in the proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would hike the cost of health insurance for people over age 50.”
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 3/22/2017: “Millions of people under age 50 would still see large reductions in tax credits and increases in net premiums, and millions of people of all ages would still see large increases in deductibles, co-pays, and other out-of-pocket costs.”
Oliver Wyman via Wall Street Journal report, 3/13/2017: “The Oliver Wyman analysis highlights how rural areas, where individual insurance premiums are often higher, could see a major effect from the shift to flat-sum tax credits. Compounding that, rural populations are often older and poorer, so the proportion of those doing worse under the new subsidy setup may be higher. Of the 100 counties where a 62-year-old making three times the federal poverty level—generally around $36,000—would see the biggest jump in annual costs for a plan under the Republican blueprint, 97 were rural.
… but Trump promised he would make healthcare more affordable.
Trump: “We’re Going To Terminate It And Replace It With Something That’s Going To Be Great And A Lot Less Expensive.” “We’re going to terminate Obamacare which has turned out to be a complete disaster. We’re going to terminate it and replace it with something that’s going to be great and a lot less expensive and a lot less expensive for the government.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Anderson SC, 10/19/15]
Trump: “You’re Going To End Up With Great Healthcare For A Fraction Of The Price.” “”Obamacare has to go. We can’t afford it. It’s no good. You’re going to end up with great healthcare for a fraction of the price. And that’s going to take place immediately after we go in. Okay? Immediately. Fast Quick.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Las Vegas, NV, 2/22/16]
Trump: “We’re Going To Come Up With A New Plan That’s Going To Be Better Health Care For More People At A Lesser Cost.” [“World News Tonight,” ABC, 1/25/17]
Trumpcare would cut both Medicare and Medicaid….
Congressional Budget Office, 3/13/2017: “A reduction of $880 billion in federal outlays for Medicaid”
Washington Post, 3/23/2017: “The Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, would draw on Medicare’s financially distressed trust fund to put money back in the pockets of some of the country’s richest people. Republicans would repeal the Medicare tax, a 0.9 percent surcharge on annual salaries of at least $200,000 for individual taxpayers or $250,000 for married couples. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that over a decade, repealing the tax would forego $117 billion that those wealthy households are currently expected to pay into the trust fund, which is used to cover the costs of health care for elderly Americans.”
American Association of Retired Persons, 3/13/2017: “The plan would cut Medicaid funding by $880 billion, which would jeopardize essential care for 17 million seniors and people with disabilities and shift the cost to states, blowing a giant hole in state budgets and costing state taxpayers billions.”
… but Trump promised that he would not cut Medicare or Medicaid.
Trump: “We Don’t Want To Cut Social Security. We Don’t Want To Cut Medicare Or Medicaid.” “Our people have to be taken care of. In order to take care of people, we need wealth. We don’t want to cut Social Security. We don’t want to cut Medicare or Medicaid. I’m different from a lot of Republicans. They keep talking about cutting. I keep saying, build the country up so you don’t have to worry about Social Security. It’s peanuts compared to the kind of numbers you are talking about if we knew what we’re doing.” [Donald Trump, National Press Club Luncheon, Washington, DC, 5/27/14]
Trump: “I’m Not Going To Cut Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid.” “One of the things that I’m going to do and I’m going to tell you right now, and I’m the only Republican that says it, there is so much potential in this country. I’m not going to cut Social Security. I’m the only Republican that would say this, but I’m saying it. I’m not going to cut Social Security, it’s unfair. I’m not going to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. We’re going to stop the fraud, stop the waste and the abuse, but I’m not going to cut.” [Donald Trump, New Hampshire Union Leader Editorial Board Interview, Manchester, NH, 3/19/15]
Trump: “We’re Not Going To Cut Social Security, We’re Not Going To Cut Medicare And Medicaid.” “We need the medical and we need to save Social Security and I mean save it, not cut it. If I run, I will be the only one that will say, we are not going to cut Social Security, we’re not going to cut Medicare and Medicaid. Now, we’re going to stop the abuse and fraud, because everyone wants that, but we’re not going to be cutting Medicare, we’re not going to be cutting Medicaid or Social Security. Every other republican wants to cut it, they want to cut it down and that is a big mistake and it’s unfair to the people that expect it and should get it.” [Simon Conway, 4/2/15]
Trump Promised To “Save Medicare, Medicaid And Social Security Without Cuts.” “Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts. Have to do it. Get rid of the fraud, get rid of the waste and abuse, but save it. People have been paying in for years and now many of these candidates want to cut it. You save it by making the United States, by making us rich again, by taking back all of the money that’s being lost.” [Donald Trump, Presidential Campaign Announcement, New York, NY 6/16/15]
Trump: “I Will Protect And Preserve, Without Cuts, Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid.” “I will protect and preserve, without cuts, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and the money will come from making smart deals instead of stupid deals with other countries.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Manchester, NH, 6/17/15]
Trump: “I Will Protect Your Social Security Without Cuts. I Will Protect Your Medicare And Your Medicaid.” [Donald Trump, National Federation of Republican Assemblies Convention, Nashville, TN, 8/29/15]
Trumpcare would deeply cut funding for treatment of addiction…
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Associate Dean Joshua Sharfstein, 3/9/2017: “Taken as a whole, it is a major retreat from the effort to save lives in the opiate epidemic.”
Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies Founder Dr. David C. Lewis, 3/12/2017: “If you cut off even the essential funding for people to get that treatment, they simply won’t get it…That is the problem.”
Republican Budget Committee, 3/9/2017: “Beginning in 2020, the plan would eliminate an Affordable Care Act requirement that Medicaid cover basic mental-health and addiction services in states that expanded it, allowing them to decide whether to include those benefits in Medicaid plans…During the committee meeting, Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) asked a GOP staffer whether those benefits are “no longer essentially covered, or required to be covered, by this version of this text. Is that not correct?” “The text before us does remove the application of the essential health benefits for the alternative benefit plans in Medicaid,” a lawyer for Republicans on the committee responded.”
But Trump promised he would expand access to addiction treatment services to address the opioid crisis.
Trump: “We Will Fight To Increase Access To Life-Saving Treatment To Battle The Addiction To Drugs, Which Is Afflicting Our Nation Like Never Ever Before.” “As part of our commitment to safe communities, we will also work to address the mental health crisis. Prisons should not be a substitute for treatment. We will fight to increase access to life-saving treatment to battle the addiction to drugs, which is afflicting our nation like never ever before — ever.” [Donald Trump, MCCA Conference, Washington, DC, 2/8/17]
Trump Promised “Our Terrible Drug Epidemic Will Slow Down And Ultimately Stop.” [Donald Trump, Speech to a Joint Session of Congress, Washington, DC, 2/28/17]
Trump: “I Would Dramatically Expand Access To Treatment Slots And End Medicaid Policies That Obstruct Inpatient Treatment.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Portsmouth, NH, 10/15/16]
Trump On The Opiate Crisis: “We’re Going To Clean It Up And Help The People Badly Addicted.” [“Morning Joe,” MSNBC, 2/8/16]
Trump On The Opiate Crisis: “We Must Do More To Help These Addicts, We’re Not Doing Enough.” [Donald Trump, Rally, Windham, NH, 1/11/16]
Published: Mar 24, 2017