Trump threatens to end insurance payments if no healthcare bill

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#POLITICS
JULY 29, 2017 / 4:16 PM / 39 MINUTES AGO

Trump threatens to end insurance payments if no healthcare bill

Joel Schectman

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Saturday to end government payments to health insurers if Congress does not pass a new healthcare bill and goaded them to not abandon their seven-year quest to replace the Obamacare law.

In a Twitter message on Saturday, Trump said "if a new HealthCare Bill is not approved quickly, BAILOUTS for Insurance Companies and BAILOUTS for Members of Congress will end very soon!"

The tweet came a day after Senate Republicans failed to muster enough votes to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's signature healthcare bill commonly known as Obamacare.

The first part of Trump's tweet appeared to be referring to the approximately $8 billion in cost-sharing reduction subsidies the federal government pays to insurers to lower the price of health coverage for low-income Americans.

The second part of the tweet appeared to be a threat to end the employer contribution for members of Congress and their staffs, who were moved from the normal federal employee healthcare benefits program onto the Obamacare insurance exchanges as part of the 2010 healthcare law.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-trump-idUSKBN1AE0QQ

[drray23]

1. not so easy i suspect.

this would be caught in a bunch of lawsuit like his muslim travel ban. it may even prompt congress to do what they did with the sanctions, that is pass a bill to force it.

[PoliticAverse]

5. There's already a lawsuit claiming the payments are unconstitutional since the ACA...

didn't actually provide for them.

See:
https://ctmirror.org/2017/04/04/insurers-lobbying-to-keep-aca-payments-the-gop-hates/

[Cicada]

6. It may be the President's choice

It would require a 19% premium hike. Most would have it paid by an increase in the premium tax subsidy, but many would be stuck with a big hike. How would those facing higher costs feel about Trump doing that to them?

Trump is excellent at making enemies.

[Angry Dragon]

2. It seems that Trump feels he does not need to follow the laws of this nation

He must think he is living in Russia

[SHRED]

3. The idiot speaks

[SHRED]

4. He has a staggering level of ignorant incompetence

[kacekwl]

7. Congress should tell him to go F himself. Just like the majority of America has.

Shut up and go golf dummy.

[NCjack]

8. Trump is screwing with the health and maybe lives of the children of the members

of congress. Can this be enough to cause them to remove him?