Trump health plan would increase deficit and leave millions uninsured, report says
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the I-X Center on Saturday in Cleveland.
WASHINGTON » Donald Trump’s recently released plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would drive up the federal deficit by nearly $500 billion over the next decade and cause 21 million Americans to lose health coverage, according to a new independent analysis.
Trump’s “Healthcare Reform to Make America Great Again” plan, which the GOP presidential front-runner outlined on his campaign website last month, does not include much detail.
But its major planks — including repealing Obamacare, deregulating health insurance and offering tax breaks to help Americans get coverage — would likely have a devastating effect, the new analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget concludes.
“Mr. Trump’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare — based on the details available — would both add to the deficit and significantly reduce coverage,” the report notes.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington-based fiscal watchdog, is often critical of politicians of both parties.
It earlier took to task Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for his campaign pledge to create a single government health plan for all Americans, finding Sanders’ numbers unrealistic.
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Trump’s plans have been difficult to assess because until recently he made only broad promises to come up with a “terrific” replacement for the health law President Barack Obama signed in 2010.
Beyond repeal, his current plan relies largely on bedrock conservative health proposals, including allowing insurers to sell their health plans anywhere in America, thereby avoiding state regulators.
He has also proposed to free states from much federal oversight of their Medicaid safety net health plans, a plan that Republicans have often tried to advance as a way to empower states while dramatically cutting federal spending.
The new report notes that without more detail about how Trump would structure so-called Medicaid block grants, it is difficult to assess what effect his plans would have.
But the overall effect of scrapping the 2010 health law is likely to be enormous, largely because that would eliminate new subsidized insurance marketplaces and federal aid that has allowed 30 states to expand eligibility for their Medicaid programs.
Thanks largely to these pillars of the health law, some 20 million previously uninsured Americans have gained coverage in recent years.
Nearly all of these people would lose their health care protections under Trump’s plan, according to the report.
Repealing the current law would also eliminate major funding sources, including new taxes and savings in Medicare achieved by curtailing payments to hospitals, doctors and other providers. That would drive up the deficit.
The report notes that the fiscal effect of Trump’s plan might be less if potential economic growth linked to repeal is included. But even then, the deficit would balloon by some $270 billion over the next decade, the report concludes.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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©2016 Tribune Co.
21 responses to “Trump health plan would increase deficit and leave millions uninsured, report says”
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Oh, just like Obama Care then?
No, Obamacare has provided insurance to 20,000,000 people, had a positive effect on deficit reduction, and dramatically reduced the rate of inflation of medical costs. It has, in fact, succeeded beyond the exceptions of it advocates.
Obamacare might have given insurance to 20,000,000 but it is at the cost of the middle and upper class wage earners and this is my story to prove it, I’m a 54 year old consulting engineer and make between $60,000 and $125,000 per year, depending on how hard I work and whether or not there are work projects out there for me.
My girlfriend is 61 and makes about $18,000 per year, working as a part-time cashier.
For me, making $60,000 a year, under ObamaCare, the cheapest, lowest grade policy I can buy, which also happens to impose a $5,000 deductible, costs $482 per month.
For my girlfriend, the same exact policy, same deductible, costs $1 per month. That’s right, $1 per month. I’m not making this up. (obamcare.org)
So OK, clearly ObamaCare is a scheme that involves putting the cost burden of healthcare onto the middle and upper-income wage earners.
But there’s a lot more to it. Stick with me.
If I want to upgrade my policy to a low-deductible premium policy, such as what I had with my last employer, my cost is $886 per month.
But my girlfriend can upgrade her policy to the very same level, for just $4 per month.
That’s right, $4 per month. $48 per year for a zero-deductible, premium healthcare policy – the kind of thing you get when you work at IBM (except of course, IBM employees pay an average of $170 per month out of pocket for their coverage).
I mean, it’s bad enough that I will be forced to subsidize the ObamaCare scheme in the first place. But even if I agreed with the basic scheme, which of course I do not, I would never agree to subsidize premium policies.
If I have to pay $482 a month for a budget policy, I sure as hell do not want the guy I’m subsidizing to get a better policy, for less than 1% of what I have to fork out each month for a low-end policy.
Why must I pay $482 per month for something the other guy gets for a dollar?
And why should the other guy get to buy an $886 policy for $4 a month?
Think about this: I have to pay $10,632 a year for the same thing that the other guy can get for $48.
$10,000 of net income is 60 days of full time work as an engineer; $48 is something I could make collecting aluminum cans and plastic bottles, one day a month.
Are you with me on this? Are you starting to get an idea what ObamaCare is really about?
ObamaCare is not about dealing with inequities in the healthcare system. That’s just the cover story.
The real story is that it is a massive, political power grab.
Do you think anyone who can insure himself with a premium policy for $4 a month will vote for anyone but the political party that provides him such a deal?
ObamaCare is about enabling, subsidizing, and expanding the Left’s political power base, at taxpayer expense.
Why would I vote for anyone but a Democrat if I can have babies for $4 a month?
For that matter, why would I go to college or strive for a better job or income if it means I have to pay real money for healthcare coverage? Heck, why study engineering when I can be a schlub for $20K per year and buy a new F-150 with all the money I’m saving?
And think about those $4-a-month babies – think in terms of propagation models. Think of just how many babies will be born to irresponsible, under-educated mothers. Will we get a new crop of brain surgeons and particle physicists from the dollar baby club, or will we need more cops, criminal courts and prisons?
One thing you can be certain of: At $4 a month, they’ll multiply, and multiply, and multiply.
ObamaCare: It’s all about political power.
Remember folks, November 2016 is just around the corner. If you want to continue this kind of redistribution of wealth, then vote Hillary. Trump has got the liberals shaking in there boots and they will do whatever it takes to de-rail him, we can not afford to have another 4 or 8 years of Obama under Hillary. Vote Trump so we can move on for a better tomorrow.
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. Plato
Well that makes perfect sense. All of it. You certainly have it all figured out! Why earn an education if you can earn $20,000 a year? Yessir … that remarkable logic definitely makes you a Trump supporter!
Let’s get this straight: your girlfriend is in her 60’s, earns less than a third of what you make in a bad year and less than a sixth of what you make in a good year, and you’re upset because she pays less than you do for healthcare that you can afford and she can’t?
Wow. It takes a special kind of gentleman to thrust one of his low-wage-earning 60-year-old girlfriend’s few advantages into a rant about the unfairness of it all.
Simply put? irt_Obamacare .It’s a RECK !
“Had a positive effect on deficit reduction and dramatically reduced the rate of inflation of medical cost. In fact it succeeded beyond exception of it’s advocates”.
Here’s one for you…Did you know most of the health connectors (Obamacare)across the country has failed miserably. With these health connectors/contractors,Millions are still owed to the tax payers,with No signs of recovering anything! Lose of money? Big Time!
Yes indeed ! BS…. has been detected!
The authors of this report acknowledge that Trump’s plan does not include much detail, yet they claim Trump’s plan will increase the deficit by $500 billion and would leave millions uninsured. What nonsense.
Cannot reinvent the wheel: Medicare and Medicaid have been in place for awhile. The big issue is the threat of huge lawsuits against the medical profession that drives up premiums and hospital bills. Just eat right and exercise so that people don’t become obese. Just leave it alone Donald Duck or shall we call u Daffy Duck.
The cost of all medical and associated malpractice (insurance and awards) is just under 2% of total healthcare costs. You think that’s the big issue? It might be worthwhile to do just a tiny bit of actual research.
Klastri, the percentage of medical cost associated with malpractice insurance and awards may seem small as a percentage of total cost, but it is huge in terms of actual dollars. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, overall annual medical liability system costs, including defensive medicine, are estimated to be $55.6 billion in 2008 dollars, or 2.4 percent of total health care spending. That is the cost for malpractice insurance and awards only. You may think $55.6 BILLION is not a big issue, but I believe most people do. What is not known is how much doctors and hospitals have raised their basic charges to cover malpractice insurance and claims.
Of course. he is not responding. He is busy trying to figure out how he is going to get Mexico to pay for “the wall.”
He says things every day that no adult should believe. The Mexico wall issue is particularly funny. The President of Mexico suggested that Mr. Trump doesn’t understand that Mexico is a sovereign nation, and that Mexico, obviously, would never pay for such a wall. “I love the poorly educated!”
I feel sorry for those who believe him and I am also terrified by the hate and racism of many of his supporters.
We have a trade deficit with Mexico. Impose fees on Mexican goods and indirectly Mexico is paying for the wall.
Add a tax to the remittances of illegals working in the US.
Obamadon’tcare has been an abysmal failure, and the bad parts of it have yet to be enacted. Chock full of hidden taxes and waivers for cronies, the roll out was and continues to be an embarrassment to Obama. Through kool aide drinkers, Obama managed to Gruber voters and continues to with the aid of a very liberal leaning media. If Hilliary gets elected it will be Obama II, Hawaii don’t let that happen. Now the question is why is SA bring up Trump’s plan, I didn’t notice a breaking news piece breaking down the socialist’s Hilliary and Bernie’s failed ideas. Really fair and balanced, but not expected.
Obamadon’tcare? Oh I get it! You’re very, very clever!
“Folks ,step right up and purchase your TRUMP SNAKE OIL MEDICINE” YES,it will cure cancer,baldness and bad breath!! Step right up please.
Trump has no medical plan. He has no clue on what it takes to have medical insurance; he speaks of so much generalities on all subjects . He is getting to be a bore.
His only real plan is to win. This is his ultimate reality show. Let’s see how many people will believe his lies should be the name of the show.
The only thing Trump’s supporters care about in his health plan is that it will “make America great again.”