WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he has no plans to introduce broader health care reforms and there is no need to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which provides health insurance, because Americans will stop using it.
“As far as I’m concerned, I introduced it last night,” Trump told NBC on Thursday, a day after his fellow Republicans in the House passed a health care bill and blocked a Democratic-backed plan to extend federal subsidies for health insurance premiums.
“I don’t have to do anything because Obamacare is going away automatically because no one wants to use it. It’s too expensive,” he added in a phone interview released Friday.
About 24 million Americans buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare” because it was passed under Democratic President Barack Obama. The U.S. government has increased subsidies during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that aid is set to expire on December 31 unless Congress takes action, leaving users vulnerable to potentially significantly higher costs starting on January 1.
About a dozen House Republicans have pushed for their own bipartisan health care overhaul aimed at protecting voters in swing districts ahead of November elections that threaten their majority control. Health care costs and other higher consumer prices are fueling public dissatisfaction with the economy and could come to the fore in opinion polls.
Instead, House Republicans passed a Trump-backed bill this week that would lower premiums for some while reducing overall subsidies and raising premiums for others starting in January 2027, two months after voters cast their ballots.
“It’s a very simple plan,” Trump told NBC. “We’re going to pay people directly … we’re going to let them buy their own health care.”
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Chitsu Noyama)