HEALTH CARE, especially in the age of the coronavirus pandemic, remains to be among the top concerns of the American people as we head to the polls to vote.
Last October 2, President Donald Trump announced he and First Lady Melania Trump had been infected by COVID-19, and just seven days after, on October 9, claimed his physician has given him the go-signal to go back to the campaign trail.
Trump “declares” victory over the virus, acknowledging the health care given to him as President, which we taxpayers have paid for.
What is this miracle cure that armed Trump to declare victory over the virus?
As the MIT Technology Review reported on October 7:
“This week, President Donald Trump extolled the cutting-edge coronavirus treatments he received as “miracles coming down from God.” If that’s true, then God employs cell lines derived from human fetal tissue.”
“The emergency antibody that Trump received last week was developed with the use of a cell line originally derived from abortion tissue, according to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the company that developed the experimental drug.”
“The Trump administration has taken an increasingly firm line against medical research using fetal tissue from abortions. For example, when it moved in 2019 to curtail the ability of the National Institutes of Health to fund such research, supporters hailed a “major pro-life victory” and thanked Trump personally for taking decisive action against what they called the “outrageous and disgusting” practice of “experimentation using baby body parts.”
“But when the president faced a deadly encounter with covid-19, his administration raised no objections over the fact that the new drugs also relied on fetal cells, and anti-abortion campaigners were silent too. Most likely, their hypocrisy was unwitting. Many types of medical and vaccine research employ supplies of cells originally acquired from abortion tissue. It would have taken an expert to realize that was the case with Trump’s treatment.”
This abortion-cells-tested drug that Trump uses for his virus cost $1.5 million. Paid by taxpayers.
Now, Trump pushes FDA to speed review of Regeneron and Eli Lilly COVID-19 treatments, Fox News Business reported on October 8, Thursday.
Trump also boasts he knows more about COVID-19, but continues to defy wearing mask, social distancing and even isolation. He has also foolishly claimed he has more authority to talk about COVID-19 than Biden because he has the virus, while Biden has not.
And how has contracting the virus made Trump learn about empathy and compassion?
Quoting Sen. Bernie Sanders:
“After receiving the best socialized health care in the world Trump just said “no” to providing any relief to the unemployed, the uninsured or the hungry. But he’s still pushing the Senate to confirm a Supreme Court nominee who will strip health care from 20 million. How pathetic.”
Let us compare what candidates running for president plan to do to make sure you and your family will have access to good, affordable and dependable health care, especially when you and your family need it most.
Donald Trump’s “America First” Health-Care Plan
From the moment President Donald Trump ran for office, he has been obsessed about killing President Barack Obama’s biggest legacy — the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He campaigned on the promise of “repealing and replacing Obamacare”, and have gone as far as asking the Supreme Court to abolish the Affordable Care Act during the pandemic without having a detailed plan after four years.
On September 24, 2020, all that Trump was able to do was to sign an executive order that just laid out the three pillars of his “vision” without details on how he plans to overhaul the Affordable Care Act — “more choice” for health care options, “lower costs for families and seniors” and “better care” for American patients. This “plan” was just a rebranding of what Obamacare already delivers to the American people.
Trump also has promised to protect people with pre-existing conditions — a key provision of the Affordable Care Act which already guarantees that 135 million people with preexisting conditions cannot be denied coverage or charged more based on their health history.
Trump also said he will look for a way to prevent surprise medical bills but doesn’t have a plan on how to execute it.
(To be continued: Part 2 will cover Biden’s health care plan)
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Gel Santos Relos has been in news, talk, public service and educational broadcasting since 1989 with ABS-CBN and is now serving the Filipino audience using different platforms, including digital broadcasting, and print, and is working on a new public service program for the community. You may contact her through email at [email protected], or send her a message via Facebook at Facebook.com/Gel.Santos.Relos.
