After meeting with the country’s governors, President Donald Trump acknowledged his lack of familiarity when it comes to the complexities of decision making in healthcare. He also suggested that the difficulties brought on by the Affordable Care Act replacement have been delaying other components of his political agenda.
“I have to tell you, it’s an unbelievably complex subject. Nobody knew that health care could be so complicated,” Trump pointed out. Numerous legislators had expected that implementing changes in the health care law will cause multiple challenges for the administration. During the start of his term, the president demanded to repeal and replace former president Barack Obama’s signature healthcare act, bringing on more complications in terms of political decision-making.
Meanwhile, governors from both parties have insisted on implementing measures for a replacement to cover all individuals already gaining benefits from the landmark law. “Of course I am concerned,” Republican Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said. “I am someone who elected to expand Medicaid. That’s been very beneficial to my state, and I want to be sure those individuals can keep their coverage.” In Nevada, around 300,000 individuals have gained Medicaid coverage.
In addition, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe pointed out the governors’ consensus when it comes to prioritizing quality healthcare. According to the Democrat, who is the present chairman of the National Governors Association, the group shares the sentiments when it comes to helping their citizens in retaining their access to health care.
Due to the complex processes that go with budget legislation and the intrinsic difficulties found in healthcare, the New York Times pointed out that it could be a long time before the health law will be repealed as quickly as the Republicans had expected. According to Trump, Congress should be able to address the issue with the Affordable Care Act before it can change the tax code, which has also been a top priority for their part. Such delays may also have an impact on the administration’s infrastructure plans that could cost over a trillion dollars.
There have been no statements from the governors saying that they are ready to accept a replacement for the healthcare law that will cover a lower number of people compared to the Affordable Care Act that has extended coverage for up to 20 million US citizens.
