After nearly a year and a half of promising “concepts of a plan,” Trump has finally released his healthcare framework — and experts tore it to shreds.
The so-called Great Healthcare Plan landed with a thud this week, offering sweeping promises but precious little detail on how any of it would actually work, The Guardian reported Thursday. The administration claimed it would lower prescription prices and premiums while holding insurance companies accountable through transparency requirements.
“Instead of putting the needs of big corporations and special interests first, our plan finally puts you first and puts more money in your pocket,” Trump said in a White House video.
“I’m calling on Congress to pass this framework into law without delay. Have to do it right now so that we can get immediate relief to the American people.”
But health policy researchers slammed the vague proposal. Georgetown’s Edwin Park warned the plan would send the number of uninsured soaring, claiming it “appropriates the ‘cost-sharing reductions’ under the Affordable Care Act”, which would “have the effect of reducing premium tax credit amounts for those eligible for subsidies (while lowering unsubsidized premiums). The result would actually be more uninsured as low-income people see smaller subsidies and higher premiums they cannot afford.”
He added: “The ‘plan’ includes absolutely no detail even though the president and the administration have been promising a credible health plan within two weeks for many, many years. Instead, as in the past, this plan is more about increasing the number of uninsured, on top of the 10 million who will already lose coverage under HR1, the budget reconciliation law from last summer.”
Cynthia Cox from KFF noted the plan could trigger a “death spiral” in insurance markets, as people with pre-existing conditions may not be able to find comprehensive coverage if they don’t do so through their employer.
University of Pittsburgh professor Miranda Yaver warned “there won’t be remotely sufficient protection for the millions of Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.”
The timing of Trump’s plan comes as 22 million Americans face premium spikes after Obamacare subsidies expired.
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