WARNING: If you are among the 7 million people, or 58 percent, of those who signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2017 and qualify for cost-sharing subsidies, then you may lose that help you are getting, thanks to President Donald Trump.
Contrary to what he said about moving onto his other agenda, it seems Trump is not letting go of his devastating loss in getting the Trumpcare to repeal and replace Obamacare. The Republican Party is still not coming up with a new, concrete bill that will get bipartisan support, primarily because the Democrats will not be on board with any plan that will repeal Obamacare which they say has covered and helped so many of their constituents get affordable quality health care, especially the poor and elderly who rely on the Medicaid expansion.
Frustrated about not getting anything done to fulfill his campaign promise of repealing Obamacare on day one, President Trump is now resorting to a new tactic: He is threatening to stop insurance payments to try to get Democrats to negotiate on Obamacare. These insurance payments help as subsidies, which reduce deductibles and co-payments for lower-income people.
Reports say that without the payments, insurers could try to pull out of the Obamacare marketplace immediately. In fact, this climate of uncertainties fueled by Trump’s rhetoric has reportedly been prompting some insurers to drop out for 2018.
Trump said in an interview, “I don’t want people to get hurt.” But then the repercussions of this plan will hurt many people, especially the poor and the marginalized — many of whom voted for him in the election.
He has been scaring people that Obamacare will implode and then explode, but threats such as this will certainly make that happen. And he worries his administration will be held responsible for any problems with Obamacare. “The longer I’m behind this desk and you have Obamacare, the more I would own it,” Trump said.
“What I think should happen — and will happen — is the Democrats will start calling me and negotiating,” he said in the interview.
“President Trump is threatening to hold hostage health care for millions of Americans, many of whom voted for him, to achieve a political goal of repeal that would take health care away from millions more,” Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement.
Do you agree with President Trump? Will you be among those who will lose your subsidy because he wants to kill Obamacare?
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Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos
