Former President Donald Trump raged towards Vice President Kamala Harris on his social media platform Reality Social for saying he wished to finish the Reasonably priced Care Act, the federal regulation signed by then-President Barack Obama that expanded entry to medical health insurance.
“Lyin’ Kamala is giving a Information Convention now, saying that I need to finish the Reasonably priced Care Act,” Trump posted on October 31, which was additionally shared on X, previously often called Twitter. “I by no means talked about doing that, by no means even thought of such a factor.”
Lyin’ Kamala is giving a Information Convention now, saying that I need to finish the Reasonably priced Care Act. I by no means talked about doing that, by no means even thought of such a factor. She additionally mentioned I need to finish Social Safety. Likewise, by no means talked about it, or considered it. She is the one which…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2024
Trump has given blended and incomplete details about his plan for the 2010 regulation in the course of the present marketing campaign; and Democrats, together with Harris, have exaggerated how sure it’s that Trump will cast off the regulation if he wins again the Oval Workplace. His marketing campaign says he doesn’t need to repeal it any extra.
However it’s ridiculously fallacious for Trump to say he has by no means even talked about eliminating it. In his first marketing campaign and as president, Trump supported the thought of eliminating the Reasonably priced Care Act.
Trump’s new declare suits into one other second of the marketing campaign’s revisionist well being historical past; his working mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, falsely mentioned in September that Trump “selected to construct upon” the Reasonably priced Care Act.
Trump’s historical past with the Reasonably priced Care Act
Throughout his 2016 presidential marketing campaign, the Republican promised to repeal the regulation, typically referred to as Obamacare. Shortly after taking workplace, Trump discussed his “formidable legislative agenda”, which included eliminating the Reasonably priced Care Act. He referred to as it “a catastrophe” and mentioned he wished to save lots of households from what he described as a “catastrophic rise in premiums and debilitating lack of selection and nearly every little thing else”.
Trump supported congressional Republicans’ failed repeal-and-replace efforts. One instance is the American Health Care Act, a invoice to repeal the regulation’s subsidies and rules, that the Home handed in Could 2017; it failed within the Senate. In June 2020, Trump’s administration requested the US Supreme Courtroom to dam the regulation, however the courtroom dismissed the case.
Trump additionally minimize funding for the regulation’s advertising and marketing, outreach and enrolment help. He expanded entry to short-term, limited-coverage plans that Democrats name “junk insurance coverage”, arguing they restrict care and might result in shock medical payments.
Throughout Trump’s presidency, Reasonably priced Care Act enrolment declined by greater than two million and the variety of uninsured People rose by 2.3 million.
What’s Trump’s plan now?
Through the 2024 marketing campaign, Trump has mentioned inconsistent issues about whether or not he needs to overturn the regulation. In late 2023, he expressed curiosity in repealing and changing the regulation.
“The price of Obamacare is uncontrolled, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m critically alternate options,” Trump wrote on November 25, 2023, on Reality Social. “We had a few Republican Senators who campaigned for six years towards it, after which raised their arms to not terminate it. It was a low level for the Republican Occasion, however we must always by no means hand over!”
On November 29, 2023, he wrote, “I don’t need to terminate Obamacare, I need to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare Sucks!!!”
Since then, he has backtracked.
In March this 12 months, he wrote on Reality Social that he’s “not working to terminate” the healthcare regulation, however needs to make it “higher” and “inexpensive”.
He said in the course of the September 10 debate with Harris that he has “ideas of a plan” to exchange it.
However he has not given extra particulars, the Republican Occasion platform doesn’t tackle the Reasonably priced Care Act, and he has not talked about the regulation in his marketing campaign guarantees.
In a press release for this text, Trump marketing campaign nationwide press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned, “Repealing Obamacare will not be President Trump’s coverage place. As President Trump has mentioned, he’ll make our well being care system higher by rising transparency, selling selection and competitors, and increasing entry to new reasonably priced healthcare and insurance coverage choices.”
Our ruling
Trump mentioned, “I by no means talked about” wanting to finish the Reasonably priced Care Act and have “by no means even thought of such a factor.”
We can’t learn his thoughts, however we heard his phrases. And Trump as a candidate in 2016 and as president not solely entertained and mentioned that concept however sought to finish the regulation by congressional motion and on the Supreme Courtroom.
He has mentioned inconsistent issues about his plan for the regulation if he wins the presidency — and his newest place is {that a} repeal is off the desk. However it’s inaccurate and ridiculous to say he has by no means “talked about” eager to scuttle the regulation. We charge the declare Pants on Fireplace!
