President Donald Trump did not fall back from ordering Congress to replace Obamacare during his joint address on Tuesday night. The elected president put forward a list of policies for these lawmakers to consider while Republicans come up with a concrete replacement for such health care law.
In an attempt to replace Obamacare, President Donald Trump called on the legislators to come up with health care reform that can offer wide range of choices for citizens: lower costs, increase access and improved health care available.
“Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for our country,” Trump said. “The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that’s what we are going to do.”
According to CNBC, the president pointed out several specific reforms he expects to be pursued by Congress as they pave way for an Obamacare replacement. Many of such policies are compatible with those supported by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and House Speaker Paul Ryan. On the other hand, some of these policies were also contradicted by several conservative members of the House and Senate.
First, President Donald Trump wants Americans with pre-existing conditions to gain access to coverage. He also looks forward to a smooth process for citizens presently enrolled in the health care exchanges. This can be deemed similar to the pre-existing conditions provision of the Obamacare that has turned into one of this law’s popular measures. With the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are not allowed to discriminate against individuals with pre-existing conditions.
The president also wants to expand health savings account, although consumers should stick with the plan they prefer and not the plan forced by the government. He also emphasized the need to offer the appropriate resources for state governors in dealing with Medicaid.
Another highlighted component is the protection of doctors and patients from excessive costs that increases insurance prices. Furthermore, he also pointed out that too much price on drugs should be brought down immediately. During his campaign, President Donald Trump already criticized the excessively high price of drugs and expressed his approval of Medicare negotiating the prescription drug prices; however, such issue has often been left out on talks over Obamacare’s replacement.
Finally, the president seeks to give citizens the freedom and ability to purchase health insurance across state lines. According to President Donald Trump, this will lead to the creation of a competitive national marketplace that can further result in lowered costs and improved health care.
Democrats have not expressed their approval for replacing Obamacare, and have promised to contradict Trump's efforts on this issue. Republican legislators, on the other hand, have been divided over having to repeal as well as replace Obamacare.
