Raleigh – Yesterday, the White House announced Donald Trump will return to North Carolina on Thursday “to discuss his administration’s action and vision in delivering quality healthcare at low costs for the American people.” A White House official wouldn’t say if Trump will promote a legislative health care plan, which the president has been promising for years.
Trump has refused to put forward a plan because he simply has no health care plan, but his reckless record on health care has already hurt North Carolinians.
On his watch, 119,000 more North Carolinians lost health coverage — and that was before 2020. Now, amid a global pandemic that has killed more than 3,200 North Carolinians and infected more than 195,000, President Trump is still trying to take away the ACA and the protections for the nearly five million North Carolinians with pre-existing conditions.
Ahead of Trump’s visit to Charlotte, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Steinreleased the following statement:
“Donald Trump has spent his entire presidency trying to eliminate the Affordable Care Act. He and Republican Attorneys General are in the US Supreme Court right now trying to strike down the law and take away people’s health care. I am there fighting to protect people with preexisting conditions, seniors who depend on lower prescription drug prices, and people who would not have health insurance but for the ACA. With Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, the stakes have gotten even higher, because Trump’s nominee could cast the deciding vote to eliminate the entire health care law. If the President and the Republican Attorneys General get their way, our entire health care system would be thrown into chaos in the middle of the worst pandemic in 100 years. Health care is on the ballot this November, and I urge the people of North Carolina to vote for candidates who care about them and their access to affordable health care.”
Despite the pandemic, Trump has continued his reckless effort to terminate the Affordable Care Act, putting coverage and pre-existing condition protections at risk when they’re most needed.
In The Middle Of The Coronavirus Pandemic, Trump Reaffirmed His Support For Texas V. California, The Lawsuit Seeing To Overturn The ACA. “Moments after signing a proclamation honoring National Nurses Day on Wednesday, and in the middle of a pandemic that has already claimed tens of thousands of American lives, President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for throwing out the Affordable Care Act. [Vox, 5/6/20]
As The White House Formally Argued In March 2019 That The Entire ACA Should Be Struck Down, Neither The White House Nor Republicans In Congress Offered A New Plan To Replace The ACA. “But neither the White House nor Republicans in Congress have offered a new plan to replace the comprehensive Obama-era law, which was passed nearly a decade ago and has grown in popularity since Trump was elected.” [Washington Post, 3/26/19]
The ACA has been a lifeline during the pandemic, and many coronavirus patients experience long-term complications that could qualify as pre-existing conditions and lead to denied coverage if Trump’s lawsuit succeeds.
NBC News: Many Of Those Who Experienced Unemployment At The Height Of The Pandemic Were Able To Turn To The ACA’s Marketplaces Or Medicaid Expansion Program To Gain Subsidized Health Insurance. “For the roughly 25 million people out of work and collecting jobless benefits, the ACA’s marketplaces and Medicaid expansion provide avenues to gain subsidized health insurance with consumer protections.” [NBC News, 6/26/20]
Trump Declined To Launch A Special ACA Enrollment Period During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Which “Could Have Extended The Opportunity For Millions Of Uninsured Americans To Newly Seek Out Coverage.” “The Trump administration has decided against reopening Obamacare enrollment to uninsured Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, defying calls from health insurers and Democrats to create a special sign-up window amid the health crisis… The annual enrollment period for HealthCare.gov closed months ago, and a special enrollment period for the coronavirus could have extended the opportunity for millions of uninsured Americans to newly seek out coverage.” [Politico, 3/31/20]
Trump’s effort to overturn the ACA risks raising out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for many seniors on Medicare.
Without The ACA, Medicare Beneficiaries Would Incur Increased Costs For Preventive Care And Prescription Drugs. “Medicare beneficiaries would have to pay more for preventive care, like a wellness visit or diabetes check, which are now free. They would also have to pay more toward their prescription drugs. About five million people faced the so-called Medicare doughnut hole, or coverage gap, in 2016, which the A.C.A. sought to eliminate. If the law were overturned, that coverage gap would widen again.” [New York Times, 3/26/19]
Trump’s effort to repeal the ACA could also weaken resident protections at nursing homes, limit options for seniors, and strip health care from employees.
“Trump Plan To Kill Affordable Care Act Threatens Coronavirus-Ravaged Nursing Homes.” [MarketWatch, 7/2/20]
Trump’s efforts to sabotage and overturn the ACA, with no replacement plan in sight, fly in the face of his many 2016 promises to make health care better and more affordable.
Trump: “You’ll Have Much Better Healthcare At A Much Lower Cost, And It Will Happen Quickly.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Charlotte NC, 8/18/16]
Trump: “We’re Going To Have A New Healthcare Plan That’s Going To Cost Much Less Money, Both For You And For The Country, And It’s Going To Be A Much Higher Quality Healthcare.” TRUMP: “I told you it didn’t work before it was signed, right? I know this stuff. I’m pretty good at this stuff. It is a disaster. We’re going to have a new healthcare plan that’s going to cost much less money, both for you and for the country, and it’s going to be a much higher quality healthcare.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Charlotte NC, 10/14/16]
Trump: “You’ll Be Spending A Lot Less Money For Much, Much Better Health Care. Much, Much Less Money.” [Trump Campaign Rally, Charlotte NC, 10/26/16]