Senate Democrats say Congress needs to pass a new economic relief package that would also reopen Obamacare exchanges for people needing treatment for the coronavirus.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said on a call with reporters that they do not favor a Trump administration plan to provide direct financial aid to people who lack healthcare instead of reopening the healthcare exchanges.
Democrats will push to include a provision to open a special enrollment period in a new economic relief package that has yet to be drafted. Congress has already passed three federal aid measures, including a $2.2 trillion package signed into law last week.
“There are a lot of people who don’t have healthcare, many of whom are qualified” for the Obamacare exchanges, Schumer said, adding, “It’s something I would look at” including in a new round of economic relief legislation. “This is a crisis, and any way we can try to get people healthcare, we should do it, and this is one route.”
President Trump said during a Thursday press conference that his administration planned to arrange direct aid to the uninsured rather than allow them to enroll in the now-closed healthcare exchanges.
“At this point, the White House coronavirus task force is working on a proposal for the president to use some of the $100 billion that we are making available to hospitals to compensate the hospitals directly for any coronavirus treatment that they provide to uninsured Americans,” Vice President Mike Pence said, explaining the plan.
Wyden rejected the proposal.
“It just looks like the administration is twisting itself in knots to come up with these far-fetched theories that don’t get at the real problem,” Wyden said.
Wyden said the pledge by Pence to cover the costs of the coronavirus amounted to “promises that those without coverage cannot count on.”
Democrats called a press conference with reporters to announce they were demanding a response from the Department of Labor about the delivery of $600 in additional unemployment pay that was included in the last economic relief package.
“We Democrats are going to hold the Trump administration’s feet to the fire, to make sure they get it done and get it done right,” Schumer told reporters. “And at the top of the list, the administration must ensure that people get their new unemployment insurance checks within two weeks. That is very important. And if they don’t, then the American people are going to hold the president’s administration accountable.”
