Trump threatens to end insurance payments if no healthcare bill

[rooster59]

Trump threatens to end insurance payments if no healthcare bill

By Joel Schectman

 

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters about the departure of his Chief of Staff Reince Priebus as he arrives aboard Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. July 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

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

 

Trump has previously threatened to suspend the payments to insurers, which are determined by the Department of Health and Human Services. In April, he threatened to end the payments if Democrats refused to negotiate over the healthcare bill.

 

Responding to Saturday's tweet, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that if the president carried out that threat, "every expert agrees that (insurance) premiums will go up and health care will be more expensive for millions of Americans."

 

"The president ought to stop playing politics with people's lives and health care, start leading and finally begin acting presidential,” Schumer said in a statement.

 

Trump later urged Senate Republicans to try again on a healthcare vote. The Senate is in session for another week before it is scheduled to begin an August recess.

 

"Unless the Republican Senators are total quitters, Repeal & Replace is not dead! Demand another vote before voting on any other bill!" Trump said in a subsequent tweet.

 

Many insurers have been waiting for an answer from Trump or lawmakers on whether they will continue to fund the annual government subsidies. Without assurances, many plan to raise rates an additional 20 percent by an Aug. 16 deadline for premium prices.

 

With Republican efforts to dismantle Obamacare in disarray, hundreds of U.S. counties are at risk of losing access to private health coverage in 2018 as insurers consider pulling out of those markets.

 

   In response, Trump on Friday again suggested his administration would let the Obamacare program "implode." He has weakened enforcement of the law’s requirement for individuals to buy insurance, threatened to cut off funding and sought to change plan benefits through regulations.

 

Meanwhile, some congressional Republicans were still trying to find a way forward on healthcare.

 

Senator Lindsey Graham said in a statement issued late on Friday that he and two other Republican senators, Dean Heller and Bill Cassidy, had met with Trump after the defeat to discuss Graham's proposal to take tax money raised by Obamacare and send it back to the states in the form of healthcare block grants.

 

Graham said the move would end Democrats' drive for a national single-payer healthcare system by putting states in charge.

 

"President Trump was optimistic about the Graham-Cassidy-Heller proposal," Graham added. "I will continue to work with President Trump and his team to move the idea forward."

 

However, a majority of Americans are ready to move on from healthcare at this point. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Saturday, 64 percent of 1,136 people surveyed on Friday and Saturday said they wanted to keep Obamacare, either "entirely as is" or after fixing "problem areas.

 

When asked what they think Congress should do next, most picked other priorities such as tax reform, foreign relations and infrastructure. Only 29 percent said they wanted Republicans in Congress to "continue working on a new healthcare bill."

 

Asked what they think Congress should do next, most respondents picked other priorities such as tax reform, foreign relations and infrastructure. Only 29 percent said they wanted Republicans in Congress to "continue working on a new healthcare bill."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-07-30

 

[tonray]

This is a case where the Democrats and Republicans will have to sit back and allow people to suffer to bring the responsibility for failure of the healthcare system back to Trump. Repeal and Replace if you can craft a plan, otherwise your responsibility is to help people in the US get health care under whatever plan is the law of the land.

 

If he precipitates the collapse of the the ACA by cancelling subsidies, then so be it. Let millions take their lack of healthcare right into the 2018 elections.

[darksidedog]

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

64 percent of 1,136 people surveyed on Friday and Saturday said they wanted to keep Obamacare, either "entirely as is" or after fixing "problem areas.

And that shows how totally out of touch with reality this administration is. The only logical and rational explanation remaining for Trumps behaviour is, he simply has a personal agenda involving Obama. He wants to rub out legislation that carries the Obama name, and to hell with what that might do to the average man in the street. This is a mean, vindictive and narcissistic man. who becomes more repulsive with every ill thought out tweet.

[tonray]

2 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

And that shows how totally out of touch with reality this administration is. The only logical and rational explanation remaining for Trumps behaviour is, he simply has a personal agenda involving Obama. He wants to rub out legislation that carries the Obama name, and to hell with what that might do to the average man in the street. This is a mean, vindictive and narcissistic man. who becomes more repulsive with every ill thought out tweet.

I think immediately after the failure of the Senate plan is when he vindictively tweeted the transgender ban, again just to try and satisfy his own failures by damaging something Obama had done. He is a very petty and little man. My prediction is that Mueller is close to or already has requested his tax returns and he is crapping in his pants every day wondering when the shoe will drop.

[darksidedog]

2 minutes ago, tonray said:

I think immediately after the failure of the Senate plan is when he vindictively tweeted the transgender ban, again just to try and satisfy his own failures by damaging something Obama had done. He is a very petty and little man. My prediction is that Mueller is close to or already has requested his tax returns and he is crapping in his pants every day wondering when the shoe will drop.

Cardinal Richelieu is reputed to have said " Give me six lines written by the most honest man in the world, and I will find enough in them to hang him." I suspect Mueller has substantially more than six lines of evidence, and given the nature of Donalds business dealings, there should be plenty of material to work with. It is no longer a case of if Donald or his team had any involvement with the Russians. For the sake of America and the good of the World, it is becoming imperative that this loose cannon is removed from power, under any pretext, as quickly as possible.

[tonray]

3 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

Cardinal Richelieu is reputed to have said " Give me six lines written by the most honest man in the world, and I will find enough in them to hang him." I suspect Mueller has substantially more than six lines of evidence, and given the nature of Donalds business dealings, there should be plenty of material to work with. It is no longer a case of if Donald or his team had any involvement with the Russians. For the sake of America and the good of the World, it is becoming imperative that this loose cannon is removed from power, under any pretext, as quickly as possible.

Also keep in mind that Ken Star's investigation into Whitewater essentially found nothing to hang the Clinton's on but evidence of the Lewinsky affair and then Clinton's lying led to impeachment. I think we may be in a similar situation here.

[tomwct]

25 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

And that shows how totally out of touch with reality this administration is. The only logical and rational explanation remaining for Trumps behaviour is, he simply has a personal agenda involving Obama. He wants to rub out legislation that carries the Obama name, and to hell with what that might do to the average man in the street. This is a mean, vindictive and narcissistic man. who becomes more repulsive with every ill thought out tweet.

The only people that want to keep ObamaCare is the 9-10 million that get it free. Most are joblesss or don't want to work and free is free. This is a failed system and getting worse everyday. Even the ones that get it free can't use it because of $12,000 to 18,000 deductibles. Socialism won't work in America. 80% of Americans want to pick and choose their insurance.

 

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

[boomerangutang]

One of the basic ridiculous issues on this whole thing, is; why is the debate revolving around what Trump wants?  He has zero knowledge of health care issues, He's never had to worry about getting money to pay for the bone spur on his foot, he has no medical experience.  

 

Of course, I know the answer to that; he got voted in.   Yet it's like having a garbage truck driver be assigned to head NASA's next team designing a space probe to Jupiter.  

[Skywalker69]

1 hour ago, tonray said:

This is a case where the Democrats and Republicans will have to sit back and allow people to suffer to bring the responsibility for failure of the healthcare system back to Trump. Repeal and Replace if you can craft a plan, otherwise your responsibility is to help people in the US get health care under whatever plan is the law of the land.

 

If he precipitates the collapse of the the ACA by cancelling subsidies, then so be it. Let millions take their lack of healthcare right into the 2018 elections.

"Trump regrets" Good read!

 

https://twitter.com/trump_regrets

 

 

[metisdead]

Troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[Dave67]

Reading about this yesterday cutting off the subsidy to insurers is not going to go down very well with his own party

[ChrisY1]

Feel sorry for all the Americans here on TV.....this guy's a lemon!!

[tonray]

23 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Feel sorry for all the Americans here on TV.....this guy's a lemon!!

Please don't insult fruits, it's against board policy.

[darksidedog]

2 hours ago, tomwct said:

The only people that want to keep ObamaCare is the 9-10 million that get it free. Most are joblesss or don't want to work and free is free. This is a failed system and getting worse everyday. Even the ones that get it free can't use it because of $12,000 to 18,000 deductibles. Socialism won't work in America. 80% of Americans want to pick and choose their insurance.

 

Maybe you should read the article again. I read that 64% of Americans want to keep Obamacare. That is a lot more than 9-10 Million. As for the comment about Socialism, I guess you need to understand the term before you use it. You have so many Socialist policies in effect already, schools, the police, fire service etc. Outside the US people realise Socialism in some policies isn't a terrible thing. Only Americans seem unable to not equate it with Communism.

[spidermike007]

Is he doing this because it is the right thing to do? Of course not. Is he doing this after an objective analysis of the facts? Of course not. Not his style. He does not really analyze facts. He barely reads. He is not interested in the wisdom he would get from study. He is all about emotion, anger, and vengeance. An old world, 13th century King John type. I believe alot of this current threat to withhold government subsides for insurance, is being done out of spite towards John McCain. I do not like McCain much, but I sure respect him for standing up and voting against the repeal. Arizona is a retirement state, and it would hit his state and the retirees very hard. Trump is trying to make McCains last year or two on this earth, very hard.

 

I do not like Obamacare. But, if you want to replace it, you do it deliberately, and you have an alternative in place, before you repeal it. Repealing it without having anything to replace it with, after failing a few times to find a replacement bill is inane, vicious, totally lacking in morality wisdom and compassion, cruel, nasty, heartless, and typical of this nasty, cold hearted man, who cares little about anything other than himself, and his family.

 

The one thing that really stands out about Trump, is that he definitely has the Woody Allen syndrome. He has absolutely everything he needs to be happy in life, yet still finds a way to be miserable, every day of his dreadful life. Other than the presidency of course. No doubt, this has brought him untold misery, as he expected it to be an easy job, and he expected all of his subjects to be completely loyal, and defer to his great wisdom. Anything but that has happened, and it has made him antsy, impatient, unhappy, stressed out. And it is beyond his comprehension, to understand why so many people do not adore him, and worship him. 

Edited July 30, 2017 by spidermike007

[boomerangutang]

3 hours ago, tomwct said:

The only people that want to keep ObamaCare is the 9-10 million that get it free. Most are joblesss or don't want to work and free is free. This is a failed system and getting worse everyday. Even the ones that get it free can't use it because of $12,000 to 18,000 deductibles. Socialism won't work in America. 80% of Americans want to pick and choose their insurance.

You're right,  Americans love hand-outs.  Even the richest get hand-outs, as proven by gov't bail-out of Wall St, including Goldman Sachs execs - some of whom are working in the WH.

 

Yet, socialism is woven inextricably into the fabric of the USA.  Every federal program is socialist.  The US should the programs that work, either from Scandinavia, Canada, Australia, ....take the best parts, and cobble together something similar for the US.   There are many reasons US politicians, incl. Trump, can't do that:  On the top of the list is:  #1 coddling the very rich.   #2 is coddling big corporations, like insurance, medical, pharma. #3 spooked by the word 'socialist'.    Those 3 reasons are primarily why US politicians can't put together a decent system which provides health care for citizens.

 

Additional reasons: Americans are generally fat, eat crap food, and don't take care of their health.  Just the contributions of the snack food and fast food industries (to Americans' poor health) have sparked thick books  and movies.  

 

 

 

 

[ilostmypassword]

52 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

 

Additional reasons: Americans are generally fat, eat crap food, and don't take care of their health.  Just the contributions of the snack food and fast food industries (to Americans' poor health) have sparked thick books  and movies.  

 

 

 

 

Trump actually put a halt to several public health initiatives created to tackle this problem.

Edited July 30, 2017 by ilostmypassword

[Bill Miller]

3 hours ago, tomwct said:

The only people that want to keep ObamaCare is the 9-10 million that get it free. Most are joblesss or don't want to work and free is free. This is a failed system and getting worse everyday. Even the ones that get it free can't use it because of $12,000 to 18,000 deductibles. Socialism won't work in America. 80% of Americans want to pick and choose their insurance.

 

Total lying BS.
Kindly provide links that prove your assertions, and I do not mean links to Trump tweets.
From Health Pocket report:

"The average deductible for 2017 bronze plans marks the first time this average has crossed the $6,000 threshold. Compared to 2016’s average of $5,731, the 2017 average bronze plan deductible for individuals is 6% higher ($6,092). For families enrolled in bronze plans, the average deductible is over $12,000 in 2017.

Cost-Sharing Category 2017 Avg. for Individuals 2017 Avg. for Families of four.

Deductible (Medical) $6,092 $12,39."

These numbers are before subsidies, and do not take into account Medicaid availability.

Yes, some folks live in Red States which have opted out of Medicaid, etc., and these people are screwed... by conservative, i.e., Republican, regimes.
Elsewhere millions of people have insurance who previously did not.

[attrayant]

Quote

Trump threatens to end insurance payments if no healthcare bill

 

To rephrase: People are going to start dying unless I get my tax cuts!

 

He's literally holding hostage the health of millions of people so that he can get his win.

[hansnl]

5 hours ago, tonray said:

This is a case where the Democrats and Republicans will have to sit back and allow people to suffer to bring the responsibility for failure of the healthcare system back to Trump. Repeal and Replace if you can craft a plan, otherwise your responsibility is to help people in the US get health care under whatever plan is the law of the land.

 

If he precipitates the collapse of the the ACA by cancelling subsidies, then so be it. Let millions take their lack of healthcare right into the 2018 elections.

In my view Obamacare is the only thing brought to the US by him that had a positive impact for the people.

I agree with Mr Trump on a lot of things, but NOT his view on health care.

There should be a general an affordable health care insurance for all.

[metisdead]

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed as well as the replies, it was off topic anyway. 

[tonray]

5 minutes ago, hansnl said:

In my view Obamacare is the only thing brought to the US by him that had a positive impact for the people.

I agree with Mr Trump on a lot of things, but NOT his view on health care.

There should be a general an affordable health care insurance for all.

In 8 years you can only think of 1 good thing ? Perhaps I might ask you to list the good things done by both immediate predecessor and successor ?

[Thaidream]

Donald Trump is not only a liar but he has no understanding of any issue.  Healthcare for all is a human right recognized by every country in the industrialized World except the US.  Governments must provide universal healthcare for its citizens as does the UK , Canada, the EU, Australia, Japan and even Thailand.

 

As an American, I continue to be appalled by not only Trump but a Republican Congress that puts together healthcare bills that actually drive people away from healthcare; reward the wealthy with tax cuts and actually put people's lives at risk.

 

This isn't conservatism at work- it's pure insanity and greed at its worse.

[boomerangutang]

I'm usually liberal, but an right of left wing on Health Care.  I don't believe all citizens should get all health benefits for free.   It's a tough row to hoe, particularly if there's a method which precludes some people with serious ailments and/or doesn't coddle people with pre-existing conditions.  

 

My attitude could be construed as cold-hearted by most people, but so be it.  I lean to people getting educated and doing all they can to maintain reasonably good health.  Of course, each individual is unique re; their health situation and what they need now, and what they will need in the future.   

 

Yet if a person drinks like a Bowery bum, and smokes 3 packs of cigs a day, should public coffers pay for a liver transplant, lung transplant, heart transplant, and all the other expensive fixes that person will need?  I say no.

 

 

[Foozool]

5 hours ago, darksidedog said:

This is a mean, vindictive and narcissistic man. who becomes more repulsive with every ill thought out tweet

??

very much true

[Thaidream]

Healthcare is not free- right now in the USA every working person in America has 1.45% of their wages deducted for Medicare. However, one has to be Age 65 to use it.  Universal healthcare is a human right- it is not something based upon opinions- the US Constitution inicates every person has a right to life.  If one doesn't believe that- then the current situation of wealth insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies that continue to raise prices will continue. At some point, only the wealthy will continue to get healthcare under the current system.

 

The only solution is what every other industrialized country in the World has realized- everyone has a right to stay alive.  Taxes pay for it so it is not free healthcare - I have already paid for my Medicare healthcare for over 50 years of my working life (although it won't cover overseas). The solution is Medicare for all-  the Medicare tax will be raised; if one is not working-they still get coverage.  

 

Insurance companies will be eliminated;  Pharmaceutical costs and hospital costs will drastically decrease since the Government will pay only reasonable costs not troutrageous current costs.  It's the only way that makes sense- universal healthcare.

[Jingthing]

5 hours ago, tomwct said:

The only people that want to keep ObamaCare is the 9-10 million that get it free. Most are joblesss or don't want to work and free is free. This is a failed system and getting worse everyday. Even the ones that get it free can't use it because of $12,000 to 18,000 deductibles. Socialism won't work in America. 80% of Americans want to pick and choose their insurance.

 

You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

ACA exchange health plans are never free. They are SUBSIDIZED at different levels based on income.

Traditional MEDICAID which existed before ACA has nothing to do with ACA.

ACA did expand Medicaid in many states, but that was rejected by many states as well. 

Expanded Medicaid provides coverage for the significant portion of the population, mostly working, that aren't poor enough to qualify for traditional Medicaid, but not making enough (still quite low) to enter the highest level of subsidies for ACA exchange private plans.

Was that the group you were talking about? Those using expanding Medicaid?

Again, most of them are working.

Also  the low income Americans qualifying for higher subsidies, that's a very significant number of people.

Also, the Americans that could not qualify to buy any plan, regardless of subsidy level, because of PREEXISTING CONDITIONS, and now can under ACA, are you seriously trying to sell the republican B.S. that most of those people are not happy with ACA?

I get it that people getting towards upper middle class incomes paying full price or low subsidies for ACA plans are less happy.

Nobody said ACA was perfect. It's not. But it was a step in the right direction from the status quo before ACA, and also, it's important to keep in mind that the core structure of ACA (mandates, penalties, etc.) was a REPUBLICAN idea.

As soon as a democratic president, and God Forbid a black one demonized by demagogic bigots like trump as not even an American, supported it, then they were against it. Sleazy politics ... nothing to do with helping the people. 

 

An interesting theory about how the sleazy republicans have milked their hypocritical opposition to ACA for political gain up till now ...

 

"Republicans had quite the racket going—a very long, nearly successful con. For seven years, they convinced much of the country that every health care–related problem people faced could be directly attributed to Obamacare, a socialist plot enacted by Democratic votes and signed into law by nefarious Barack Obama."

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2017/07/republicans_never_really_hated_obamacare.html

 

Edited July 30, 2017 by Jingthing

[Thaidream]

Part of any  government provided healthcare program has to an education sector which encourages people to live healthy- stop smoking; drink in moderation and don't live on food that is not healthy.  Remember, that many of the addicted are poor, low income people who cannot afford nutritious food; have become addicted to smoking and drink cheap alcohol due to mental issues.

 

What do we need Governments for if they do not look after their citizens by providing essential services such as healthcare; education; re-training for those unemployed; unemployment compensation and many other programs.  Much of the poverty in this World can be traced back to greedy corporations not providing decent, livable wages; governments that allow price fixing; and protection of the wealthy through tax regimes which also punish the poor.

 

Trump and his Republican minions will tell you that universal healthcare is socialistic and will never work. Pure nonsense- it works fine in every country that has it. Trump doesn't like it because it puts greed and wealthy insurance companies out of business and forces pharmaceutical  companies and for profit hospitals to lower prices. 

They could care less whether you or your family members die as long as their money keeps rolling in......Utter greed.

 

 

Edited July 30, 2017 by Thaidream

[attrayant]

19 minutes ago, boomerangutang said:

Yet if a person drinks like a Bowery bum, and smokes 3 packs of cigs a day, should public coffers pay for a liver transplant, lung transplant, heart transplant, and all the other expensive fixes that person will need?  I say no.

 

 

And what if they don't do any of those nasty things?