Donald Trump’s “New” Health Care “Plan”: A Whole Lot of Nothing — Again Arrow

After a decade of promising to put forward a comprehensive health care proposal, Trump has failed to deliver anything but "concepts of a plan"

Today - after Donald Trump and Republicans slashed $1 trillion from Medicaid and refused to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, sending health care premiums skyrocketing - Trump released his health care "plan." The framework includes brief proposals with scarce details and does not take meaningful action to lower health care costs for everyday Americans.

The plan would undermine the ACA, including those with preexisting conditions. Just today at the White House press briefing, Karoline Leavitt said that coverage for people with pre-existing conditions is still an "open question."

In a video, Trump is leaving it up to Americans to figure out their own health insurance coverage for themselves and their families on their own, saying, "You'll make a great deal."

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

"Donald Trump is papering over the cracks. First, he made the largest cuts to health care in history to pay for tax breaks for the rich. Then, he let the ACA tax credits expire, driving health care premiums up by an average of 114% for millions of Americans. Now, as working families pinch pennies to afford health care or drop their coverage completely, he's rolling out a plan that does nothing at all to meaningfully lower costs. Trump has never felt the squeeze of rising bills - which is why he hasn't bothered to do anything to lower costs for everyday Americans. As Americans lose patience over his broken promises, he's scrambling to salvage Republicans' midterm hopes by pushing a half-assed health care plan after failing to make their lives more affordable."

Trump's "Great Healthcare Plan" does nothing to substantively bring down health care costs. His plan is unlikely to meaningfully lower drug prices, and his direct cash payments meant for Americans to purchase health care would fail to lower health care costs and could send the ACA into a "death spiral." His own administration officials have questioned whether Trump's plan to send money directly to Americans for health care was "sustainable."

More than 20 million Americans have seen their health care premiums skyrocket, and 4.2 million Americans are projected to lose their health care coverage entirely because of Trump and Republicans' refusal to extend the ACA tax credits. Trump's Big Ugly Bill makes the largest cut ever to Medicaid, puts over 300 rural hospitals at risk of closing, and forces an estimated 10 million Americans to lose their health insurance. No wonder over half of the public says Trump has made the cost of health care worse.