Louis Dor
Mar 01, 2017
Bernie Sanders/Twitter/Screengrab
United States President Donald Trump remains unclear on what he will replace Obamacare with.
The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, has been a target of Donald Trump's since his campaign days. It is a piece of legislation that sought to lower the number of Americans without healthcare insurance, which Donald Trump commonly refers to as a "disaster".
Mr Trump has repeatedly promised to repeal the bill, which provided millions of Americans with much needed medical cover, but for months failed to specify exactly how he would replace the system.
He's continued to be vague throughout the early days of his Presidency, offering criticism and no solutions:
Prior to his address to Congress, President Donald Trump told reporters:
We have come up with a solution that's really, really I think very good.
Now, I have to tell you, it's an unbelievably complex subject.
Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.
This is patently false - a lot of people did know healthcare is an extremely complex topic for legislation.
And to pretend he campaigned on an issue with unknown complexities is completely idiotic, as Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders pointed out to CNN's Anderson Cooper:
People couldn't get enough of Bernie's reaction:
In his address to Congress on Tuesday, President Trump said:
Tonight, I am also calling on this Congress to repeal and replace Obamacare with reforms that expand choice, increase access, lower costs, and at the same time, provide better Healthcare.
Mandating every American to buy government-approved health insurance was never the right solution for America. The way to make health insurance available to everyone is to lower the cost of health insurance, and that is what we will do.
He continued:​
Here are the principles that should guide the Congress as we move to create a better healthcare system for all Americans:
First, we should ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to coverage, and that we have a stable transition for Americans currently enrolled in the healthcare exchanges.
Secondly, we should help Americans purchase their own coverage, through the use of tax credits and expanded Health Savings Accounts —- but it must be the plan they want, not the plan forced on them by the Government.
Thirdly, we should give our great State Governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.
Fourthly, we should implement legal reforms that protect patients and doctors from unnecessary costs that drive up the price of insurance — and work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs and bring them down immediately.
Finally, the time has come to give Americans the freedom to purchase health insurance across State lines —- creating a truly competitive national marketplace that will bring cost way down and provide far better care.
Following the speech, Republicans were split over whether this outline was an endorsement of the GOP replacement plan.
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