In the battle over Obamacare's future, Trump just blinked. Bigly. - By Greg Sargent

[DonViejo]

April 11 at 10:22 AM

Ever since the GOP repeal-and-replace bill crashed, President Trump has confidently vowed that it’s only a matter of time until Democrats come groveling to him on their knees, begging for a deal that will save them from the collapse of the Affordable Care Act. In other words, Trump and Republicans needn’t take any steps to shore up the ACA’s exchanges, because they have all the leverage in the battle over its future — indeed, they have suggested, the ACA’s implosion is inevitable, ongoing and already nearly complete.

But Trump just blinked. And in so doing, he inadvertently revealed that despite the bluster coming from him and Republicans, the politics of the battle over the ACA’s future tilt against them.

The Trump administration has now quietly announced that it will refrain from taking an important step that could have pushed the ACA’s individual markets toward collapse. Specifically, The Post and the New York Times report that the administration will keep on paying so-called “cost-sharing reductions” to insurance companies to cover their reimbursement of out-of-pocket costs for about 7 million lower-income customers.

If Trump stopped the payments on his own, it could cause insurers to flee the exchanges, which would melt them down, potentially leaving at least 10 million people without coverage. Trump could do this right now. Here’s how: House Republicans had sued the Obama administration to block the payments, and last year a federal judge ruled that they are invalid but kept them going, pending the former administration’s appeal. Trump could drop that appeal, which would cause the payments to stop. But the Trump administration has decided not to do this — at least for now — and to keep the payments going.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2017/04/11/in-the-battle-over-obamacares-future-trump-just-blinked-bigly/?utm_term=.0fcd653d1fac&wpisrc=nl_popns&wpmm=1

[Alice11111]

1. Some good news...we need to work this so DT continues

Obamacare, even if he gets some undeserved credit.

I would say, he's got his hands full, but it's never stopped him before. Meanwhile, Ryan claims to be at work redrafting legislation. He has lost credibility though.

[dalton99a]

2. It looks like they're going to wait until after the midterms

[Alice11111]

3. Hope so. Paul Ryan's face pops up holding papers, w

Headings that he is working on it. I suppose that's appeasement.