President Donald Trump reportedly cancelled a planned announcement regarding the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies , which was set to take place on Monday. This followed a report by MS NOW journalist Jake Traylor about significant backlash he was facing from Republican lawmakers in Congress.
Traylor’s report, based on information from two White House insiders, suggested that the president was ready to present a proposal to halt Obamacare rate increases. However, once Traylor disclosed that the president’s plan “is facing strong backlash from congressional Republicans,” the plan was put on hold.
Reporter Mychael Schnell co-authored his story for the MS NOW website. The White House plan would allow individuals earning up to 700 percent of the federal poverty level to receive a two-year extension of the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.
According to the two sources who spoke with Politico, enrollees would also be required to pay a minimum premium. “Any reporting about the administration’s healthcare positions is mere speculation until President Trump makes an announcement himself,” a White House spokesman said, declining to confirm the specifics of the proposal.
Trump’s strategy to unveil a fresh healthcare framework as early as Monday aimed at cutting ACA insurance cost spikes was initially revealed by MS NOW.
Worried about the potential political fallout should the subsidies lapse at year’s end and premiums rocket, Republican moderates and senators in battleground states are desperately crafting legislation.
When the Senate votes on a probable Democratic proposal to extend the subsidies next month, other Republicans simply want to have a bill ready to put forward.
President Trump has backed the concept of channelling funds directly to consumers for health insurance purchases, yet Senate Republicans are battling to forge consensus within such a tight deadline.
The sitting president appears to be taking aim at former President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare legislation, sparking a political battle ahead of next year’s elections that echoes one he lost during his first term, according to the Associated Press.
Previously, Trump and fellow Republicans attempted but failed to tear down the Affordable Care Act, a crushing blow seen as contributing to the party’s defeats in 2018.
On this occasion, Trump seems to be moderating his ambition to repeal and replace the legislation.
Yet he is grappling with easing voters’ fears over soaring living costs – coupled with an approaching deadline to extend expiring subsidies that assist people in paying their “Obamacare” premiums – and it remains unclear how he intends to prevent history from repeating itself.
Customers insured through the law’s marketplaces have been notified of significant premium increases for next year if the subsidies are not extended by 1st January – a reprieve that Trump stated on Tuesday he would not support.
Unless he changes his stance, it falls to Congress to find a solution or let the tax credits expire, which would increase the rates for 24 million people covered through ACA exchanges.
