President Trump urged Congress Tuesday night to take “action” on repealing Obamacare, making a public recommitment to do away with the healthcare law despite all the difficulties that poses.
“Obamacare is collapsing – and we must act decisively to protect all Americans,” Trump said in his first address to a joint session of Congress. “Action is not a choice – it is a necessity.”
Trump laid out his most detailed vision yet as president of what a replacement to the Affordable Care Act should look like. Most notably, he didn’t explicitly say the law’s Medicaid expansion should be rolled back, instead saying that states should get the flexibility to “make sure no one is left out.”
Nor did Trump push for allowing the government to negotiate lower prices with the pharmaceutical industry for Medicare drugs, something he called for on the campaign trail. Instead, he called for medical malpractice reforms to bring down the overall cost of insurance and medications.
Trump did call for tax credits to help people buy coverage, supported by House Speaker Paul Ryan, instead of the tax deductions that more conservative members prefer. People should be able to use the credits to buy a plan of their choosing, not one “forced on them by the federal government,” he said.
The president also reiterated his past support for ensuring that people with pre-existing medical conditions have access to coverage, giving more access to tax-free health savings accounts and allowing people to buy policies across state lines.
Trump’s call for Obamacare repeal is likely to heighten already intense pressure on congressional Republicans to come up with a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. House committees are working on a measure, but it’s already being panned by conservatives threatening to muddy up the entire process.
Democrats have said they won’t work with Republicans to repeal and replace the healthcare law, but Trump still called for bipartisan cooperation on the issue.
“I am calling on all Democrats and Republicans in the Congress to work with us to save Americans from this imploding Obamacare disaster,” he said.
